College Years
by wild-springflower
Summary: College was full of adventures for the two Best Damn Avocados, some more crazy than others. But all were note-worthy. -Based on the Netflix original series-
1. Dust Bunnies

**A/N: Hello all! So this is the first installment of an ongoing fic I have started. It is basically a compilation of a bunch of small one-shots all taking place while the best damn avocados are in college. So please enjoy!**

"Hey, I'm gonna clean up the room. Dust and what not." Foggy called to his roommate as he dug for the proper cleaning supplies. Matt had earphones in and his fingers were running quickly over his braille textbook; he didn't give any indication of actually hearing what Foggy had said.

Foggy wasn't normally one to be a clean freak. He wasn't super disorganized, he had a system that worked and he really didn't feel the need to mess with it.

Except for dusting.

Matt had allergies. Not to anything aside for dust and they weren't even that bad, but if tidying up every once in a while would keep his friend from suffering then Foggy would do it.

He decided to head over to Matt's side of the room first. His dresser and desk didn't have much on them in the way of personal belongings so it made for a quick and easy dusting.

But as Foggy prepared to wipe the wooden surfaces, one fact became glaringly apparent. The wood and what few knick-knacks Matt actually owned were spotless. Completely void of any dust whatsoever.

"Hey, did you clean over here?"

No response.

With a sigh Foggy trekked back over to his side of the room and traded his cleaning supplies for a pillow. Crossing back to the other side of the dorm, Foggy gently smacked Matt's leg with his pillow.

Matt jumped, fingers leaving the braille textbook, and pulling out his earphones quickly. "Jeez Foggy, you scared the shit out of me."

"Yeah," Foggy remarked in surprised confusion. "Not something I can normally do."

"I was studying. It's kind of a heavy topic. And you could've just tapped my shoulder. Did you need something?"

"Yes I could've and yes I do. I was gonna dust but I saw your half of the room was already clean?"

"Oh yeah, it was getting kinda dirty so I cleaned while you were at class yesterday."

Foggy blinked a few times before crossing his arms over his chest and huffing out a terse sigh. "And you didn't clean my half? You jerk!" There was absolutely no malice in Foggy's voice and the smile Matt could hear totally betrayed him, but Matt played along anyway.

"I was not about to brave the dangers of your half of the room Nelson. I'm fairly certain there's something _living_ under your bed. It feeds on all the old take-out containers you haven't bothered to throw away."

"You know about those?" Foggy sounded sheepish.

"I don't need to be blind to smell those." Matt stated with a smile. A thought crossed his mind and the smile quickly faded, "What time is it?" He demanded, hand flying to his braille wrist watch, but he knew Foggy would be faster.

"Quarter to one."

"Shit I'm gonna be late!" Matt whirled off his bed and scrambled to slip his shoes on. He barely paused to grab his cane before he dashed out the door, arms still twisting into his backpack.

Foggy just shook his head with a laugh. Matt was probably the smartest person he knew, but _man_ could he get side-tracked. Foggy chuckled once more before turning back to the room. It was time to do something about that monster under his bed.

When Matt returned to the dorm room a little over an hour later he wasn't all that surprised to find it empty. Foggy had a class at two that he usually attended. He was happily surprised by the clean scent of the room however. No food containers under the bed, no dust bunnies in the corners. The floor had even been mopped, though how and when they had acquired a mop Matt was unsure.

It brought a smile to Matt's face. Normally he detested when people did things for him, but there was just something different about Foggy. His intentions when he _did_ do something for Matt. It wasn't out of pity or some misguided belief of Matt's helplessness. He did it because he truly wanted to help, and Matt knew Foggy would've done it for anyone. Not just for him. Not because he was blind.

They were barely a quarter of the way into the school year and already Matt could tell he and Foggy would work together wonderfully.


	2. Summer Bash

**A/N: So in doing research for this chapter, I found out a bit about Foggy's family, and I decided to use his birth mother's name in this story instead of his step-mom. So I guess this is technically AU…? But that's it, so enjoy!**

It was the end of the summer before their third year and Foggy's family was having a little send-off party. All the extended family was there, cousins, uncles, once removed, twice removed, it didn't really matter. There was beer, good food, and a pool. That basically assured everyone's attendance no problem.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to be here?" Matt asked nervously.

Foggy groaned, "Matt, do we really have to go through this again? You're not imposing, you're not an unwelcome guest. My family _loves_ you, okay? You've been given the Nelson seal of approval, and that's not something just anyone can get. So would ya just relax already?"

Matt nodded, his lips quirking in the tiniest of smiles. "Alright."

Foggy smiled as well, glancing over at his friend fondly. It didn't matter how many get-togethers they went to, Matt was always worried about intruding on Foggy's family time.

The two young men were dressed in swim trunks and baggy old t-shirts. Well, Matt's was baggy, on account of it belonging to Foggy. Foggy's fit just fine.

"Barbeque, and Rolling Rock." Matt nodded in approval. "Nice."

"It still freaks me out that you can do that."

"What? Smell the food cooking?"

"Smell the food cooking from a _block_ away. Not to mention the type of alcohol we're drinking." Foggy shifted the small bag of groceries they'd been tasked with retrieving around. It wasn't a particularly heavy bag, but he'd been carrying it in his left hand the whole way back from the store so it wouldn't bang into Matt's knee as they walked.

"Do you want me to take that for a while?" There was no question as to what it was Matt was referring to.

Foggy glanced down at Matt's hands, right full of his cane and left full of Foggy's elbow. "You grow a third appendage I don't know about?"

Mat chuckled softly, "I was thinking more along the lines of a trade." And before Foggy really had time to protest, Matt had somehow maneuvered his cane into Foggy's hand whilst also relieving him of the grocery bag.

"It's not _that_ heavy you know." Foggy stated as he began to twirl Matt's cane around.

"You've been carrying it for six blocks Foggy, the least I can do is carry it the last thirty feet."

"Alright." Foggy shrugged in defeat. If there was one thing he'd learned about Matt Murdock in the two years they'd been rooming together, it was that the man had a stubbornness streak a mile wide.

His mother stepped out of the house to grab the newspaper just as the pair ambled up. "Took you long enough." She jested. "We were about to send out search and rescue."

"You always overreact, honestly, have ye any faith?"

"In you? Boy what is the guest carrying the groceries for!" Mrs. Nelson demanded, smacking Foggy's arm with the rolled up paper.

"Ow!" Foggy whined.

"Let me just take that from you Matt. And I apologize for my son's lack of manners. How you put up with him for two years is a mystery to the whole family."

"It honestly wasn't a problem Mrs. Nelson. Besides, I took the bag from him."

"Now that is a fine young gentleman." Mrs. Nelson said pointedly to Foggy, causing him to groan and Matt to blush. "And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Rosalind?"

Matt shrugged sheepishly, his cheeks remaining tinted pink. "I'm sorry Mrs.- Rosalind."

"That's more like it. I'd better hurry and finish the food before those savages start eating each other. I'll see you boys inside."

"See," Foggy said, rubbing the sore part of his arm. "She totally loves you man. More than me. She wants us to trade spots, I know it. You be her actual son and I be the friend he brings home on holidays."

"I'm sure that's not true." Matt laughed. "And don't be such a baby, she didn't hit you that hard."

"See, that! That is what I'm talking about. You're like a freaking magician. We should open your own show, your blindness would be a great wow factor. Make a ton of money, pay your way through college."

"I've got a full ride Foggy." Matt reminded his friend.

"Then you can pay _my_ way through college. I am not below accepting money from a blind man."

Matt snatched his cane back from Foggy and started tapping his way inside. "You get right on that."

"I will! I'll make all the publicity posters!" Foggy called cheerfully.

"But you suck at art."

"How would _you_ know?"

Matt just laughed as he made his way through the open front door.

"Seriously Murdock, how would you know!" Foggy demanded, chasing after Matt and closing the door behind him.

Food was eaten, well wishes were given, and stories were told. -"Foggy did _what_!"- -"Don't make me tell the story about the chipmunk Murdock!"-

But the real fun began after lunch, when the whole family tore outside like a tidal wave and began racing around the backyard. A quick game of football commenced, rival teams having already been formed at past family gatherings. Matt stood off to the side and listened, a huge grin plastered on his face the whole time.

After a while Foggy stumbled his way over, gasping and reeking of sweat. "Hey, we can do something else if you're bored."

"Oh no, I'm fine. I get a pretty clear picture of what's going on just by listening. Your family is very loud."

"Yeah," Foggy groaned. "They also don't know when to quit."

A loud cheer erupted from the makeshift field, signaling the end of the game. Foggy's team had lost but he didn't seem to care all that much.

"To the pool!" It was a battle cry that had a stampede of feet charging straight at Matt and Foggy.

"Did we make it?" Foggy questioned after the last of the Nelson bunch had charged by.

"I believe we're still alive." Matt reassured.

"Sweet! Let's hit the water!" It took a moment for Foggy to realize he was walking solo, and when he glanced back he saw Matt standing in exactly the same spot, scuffing his foot in the dirt.

"Matt, what's up?"

"Nothing. You go ahead and swim." Matt's lips morphed into a large and completely fake smile. Foggy could only tell because he knew Matt's real smile, otherwise he would've been fooled.

"Seriously buddy, what's bothering you?"

Matt sighed and kicked at the dirt, unintentionally uprooting a small weed. "It's just- I'll have to take my glasses off to go in the pool."

"Yeah so?"

There was a long pause in which Matt raised his eyebrows at Foggy and Foggy blinked questioningly before realization struck.

"Oh! Oh shit Matt, sorry!" Foggy groaned and smacked his head. "I'm such an idiot! You could always leave the glasses on."

"They'd fall off if I went under. It's really fine Foggy, you can just-"

"Take 'em off."

Matt blinked in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"Just take the glasses off. No one here is gonna care man. They just wanna have fun."

Matt bit his bottom lip in nervous contemplation before his shoulders sagged. He sighed shortly, eyebrows knotting upward with worry. "You're sure?" He asked softly.

"Absolutely. Now come on, I'm sweating like a pig."

"Yeah you smell like one too."

"Watch it Murdock, I may just throw you in."

"Foggy, Matt, come on! We're gonna play Marco Polo!" One of Foggy's cousins, Tristen, shouted from the pool.

Matt and Foggy made their way over, easily slipping out of their shirts and sandals. Matt found the small drink table and set his glasses down on it. He still looked uneasy, but a reassuring pat on the shoulder staved off his nerves.

"Okay, steps- three." Foggy warned, making sure Matt didn't slip on the slick tile.

"Thanks. So, Marco Polo?"

"Yeah!" Tristen said happily, swimming over to meet them. "Rock paper scissors to see who's first!"

Another of Foggy's cousins, Joshua, lost the rock paper scissors match. He spun in place a few times as everyone else darted away.

At first Foggy stuck close to Matt, but as the game commenced one fact became glaringly apparent. Matt was _good_ at the game, almost spookily so. He was a nearly silent swimmer, and always found a way to squirm out of seemingly tight scenarios.

Foggy had fifteen relatives in the pool, seventeen total bodies, and everyone had been tagged at least once, some twice, before Matt was tagged.

Foggy thought Matt was good at evading, but he was even better at chasing. He seemed to zero in on exactly where people were, almost anticipating which direction they would dart in to escape. It was especially not fair when Matt chose Foggy as his specific target, letting others go in favor of catching his prey.

Matt had him cornered, Foggy dove desperately to get away but Matt dove with him. The two resurfaced a moment later, a triumphant look adorning Matt's wet face. "Got you." He teased happily.

"How? How!" Foggy sputtered in disbelief.

"Foggy, you splash so loudly I could hear you from the next county."

The pool erupted into laughter. Foggy feigned insult. "That one hurt. Just you wait Murdock, I'm coming for you!"

Foggy eventually ended up tagging someone, but it wasn't Matt. In fact, Matt didn't get tagged again for the entirety of the game. Foggy postulated that the first time had been on purpose but he never called Matt out on it.

"Campfire!" Rosalind called, and in five seconds flat the pool was void of occupants.

"Seriously Matt, you were so good out there!" Chelsey smiled.

"Yeah, that was amazing!" Mark agreed.

Matt beamed happily, and Foggy couldn't help but smile as well.

The fire was blazing but it wasn't terribly uncomfortable for the summer heat. It was the perfect temperature for cooking hot dogs though.

"Here." Foggy offered Matt a skewered hot dog.

"Just point me towards the flames."

Foggy warded off any strange looks he got for giving a blind man a roasting stick with a glare. "Straight ahead. There, hold it! When you hear it sizzling, turn it over."

Matt nodded and leaned forward slightly, cocking his head towards the fire.

Foggy grabbed another roasting stick and stabbed his own hot dog, shoving it into the highest point of flames right next to Matt's. The dogs were cooked in a few minutes and soon both Foggy and Matt were chowing down on the delicious, smoke flavored meat.

"There is nothing better than a hot dog cooked over a fire." Foggy sighed blithely. "Except a s'more cooked over that same fire!"

"I could get on board with this."

"Josh, pass the 'mallows!" Foggy called to his cousin.

"Heads up!"

Matt heard the crumpling of a plastic bag, then its whistle as it soared through the air. Matt could tell it was going to go wide, tracked its steady progress. He could've caught it easily, instead he feigned surprise when the bag landed with a thud next to his leg.

"What the hell!" Foggy demanded.

"Shit man," Josh stammered. "I am _so_ sorry!"

"It's not a problem." Matt said with a smile, bending to pick up the marshmallow bag which he handed to Foggy.

"-throwing stuff at a blind guy." Matt heard Chris mutter, but he ignored it.

"I think maybe I should take over here," Foggy's voice drew his attention back. "Roasting marshmallows requires, well-"

"Eyesight?" Matt offered his struggling friend.

"I was gonna say precision, but yes."

"Alright. You know how I like it."

"Black and crispy."

"Nelson, if you burn my marshmallow there will be consequences."

Foggy just laughed, grabbing a roasting stick and placing two marshmallows over the embers.

More supplies were passed their way and Matt set up the crackers and chocolate before waiting patiently for the marshmallows to roast.

"Here we are, two perfectly golden 'mallows." Foggy stated proudly.

"They smell good."

"They'll taste good too."

The night passed by as such. S'mores, scary stories around the campfire, and the next morning Matt helped keep Foggy company- read: on task- while he packed. Matt's things were already folded neatly in his duffle.

"There. I'm ready!" Foggy sighed happily, collapsing next to Matt on his bed with a small thump.

"And it only took you three and a half hours. That's a new record."

"I live to please! You ready to go?"

"Yes. For the past three and a half hours."

"Oh shut up Murdock, just because your whole room fits in one duffle."

Matt laughed softly, patting Foggy's leg as he sat up. "We should go."

"Yeah." Foggy agreed, but neglected to actually stand.

"Franklin, I will splash water on your face."

"Matthew, you can't see my face."

"And I'll still hit it." Matt stated deviously.

Foggy just groaned. "I know. We should add that to your list of abilities for the magic show."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. A blind man with impeccable aim, that'll attract people."

"Foggy," Matt turned to his friend with a smile, "I will leave you behind."

"No you won't." Foggy scoffed, but the shuffling of feet across carpet spoke otherwise. "Matt? Matt!" With a loud groan Foggy stood, grabbed his bags, and descended the stairs, already looking forward to his third year at Columbia.


	3. Late Night Shenanigans

**A/N: Alright, so unless Matt and Foggy stayed in the dorms for at least three years, I have taken some liberties with their ages in this fic. Or they went out drinking illegally. I guess it's up to you. Also this is the last chapter I have typed up right now. I have one written, and about four others in the works, so stay tuned. Also if anyone has any requests or suggestions, I will take those as well! Thank you to those who have reviewed, favorited, or followed! Please, enjoy!**

Loud laughter exploded through the silence of the night as the two friends stumbled back to their shared dorm. Mid-terms were officially over and the whole campus had been celebrating.

Foggy hummed softly to himself as he flipped Matt's cane around lazily. Matt wore a small smile of content, gripping Foggy's elbow to keep himself steady. Although, neither man was particularly steady.

"Hey, hey! Have I told you that joke about Sally?" Foggy giggled slightly and the sound had Matt's grin widening.

"Yes, yes you have."

"Okay, what about- what about the golf gun?"

Matt's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Golf gun?"

Foggy snorted out a laugh before his expression morphed into stony seriousness. "Two cops show up to a bloody crime scene at a golf course. Some guy named Juan had been killed, had a _huge_ hole in his chest!"

Matt's fingers nearly slipped from Foggy's elbow as his friend animatedly reenacted his joke.

"So the first officer says: 'well, at least we know what weapon was used to kill him.' " Fogy dropped his voice an octave to represent the first officer. "The second officer turns to his partner, all confused, 'we do?' He questioned." The second officer's voice was slightly higher than his usual tone and Matt chuckled at Foggy's theatrics. "'Yeah, it was a golf gun.'" The baritone was quickly replaced by the high tenor, "'a golf gun, what's a golf gun?'" Foggy dissolved into a fit of laughter, high pitched squeaks escaping past his lips as he tried to finish the joke. "'I don't know-' " Foggy attempted to keep up the deep baritone of the first officer but was unable. "I don't know, but it made a hole in Juan!"

Matt released a barking laugh, almost more amused by Foggy's reaction than the actual joke.

Foggy was gasping slightly, and Matt could taste the salt of his tears in the air. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps he was just tired, but for whatever reason Matt didn't become aware of the man walking briskly towards them until his shoulder was jarred painfully. Matt's whole body pivoted with the motion, forcefully tearing his grip off Foggy's arm and sending his world on fire into a tailspin. He didn't hear so much as an apology from the man who had run into him.

"Hey!" Foggy shouted, enraged and seemingly sober. "I believe you owe my friend an apology!"

"Foggy-" Matt called in exasperation. "Foggy it's fine."

"It is most certainly _not_ fine! Who does he think he is, ramming into a blind guy!" The last part was shouted at the man's retreating form but he didn't even glance over his shoulder.

"Foggy." Matt groaned, groping about the hazy space that his friend was hiding in. He released a small victorial 'ha' when his hand came into contact with Foggy's soft coat. "Just drop it, it's really not a big deal."

"Only cause you're like, the nicest guy on the planet. _Anyone_ else would be justifiably upset by what just happened."

Matt inhaled deeply through his nose and pulled Foggy's arm till they started walking again. "Obviously he was just in a bit of a hurry."

"Don't give this guy excuses Matt, you were this close to becoming a pancake on the pavement." Foggy shifted Matt's cane so he could hold up his hand, pointer and thumb fingers a mere inch apart.

Matt's eyebrows raised in amusement from behind his glasses, "You know I can't _see_ the gesture you're making, right?"

"Then how do you know I was even making a gesture to be seen? Hmmm?" Foggy demanded playfully, all animosity felt towards the stranger seemingly forgotten. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Uh- three."

There was a pregnant pause where Foggy glanced from Matt's shaded eyes to the three fingers he had raised towards the sky. "What!"

Matt shrugged his shoulders with a sheepish grin, "Lucky guess?"

"Guess huh? Anyway that guy was still a dick."

Matt just nodded, settling a little more deeply into Foggy's warm frame. The two walked in a companionable silence for about a block before a smile lit up Matt's face. "Hey, what goes: click click, have I done it yet? Click click, have I done it yet?"

"What?" Foggy responded immediately.

"A blind man trying to solve a Rubik's cube."

The answer was so serious and monotone, Foggy's feet stuck to the ground as his stunned brain reeled to catch up.

Matt's hand loosened from Fogy's arm and he continued to walk casually down the street, hands in packets, chin tucked firmly in his scarf to stave off the cold.

"Hold up Murdock, did you just-?"

Matt halted his stride and turned his body so he was angled back towards Foggy. "Well you said I was just a guy right? So why can't a guy tell a blind man joke?"

It took a moment for the words to truly sink in but when they did Foggy couldn't help but laugh. "I bet I know better blind man jokes than you!" He challenged as he quickly closed the short distance between himself and his friend, immediately offering up his arm, which Matt happily took.

"Dude," Matt scoffed, "I was the butt of _all_ the jokes in high school, I defy you to tell me one joke I've never heard before."

"Alright here it comes, prepare yourself!"

"I'm prepared, lay it on me!"

"What do you call a blind German?" Foggy paused for effect. "A not see."

"Weak!" Matt jeered. "That is so weak Nelson!"

"Alright, hold your horses I'm just getting warmed up. Why don't blind people skydive?"

"It scares the shit out of their dogs." Matt responded.

"Come on man, stealing my punch line? What gives!"

"Well if you tell me old, tired jokes, I am going to steal your punch lines. Why did the blind man cross the road?"

"Why?"

Matt shook his head sadly, "We don't know. He never made it."

Foggy couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips. "Okay, here's a new one for you: 'Knock knock.' I say to my blind friend. 'Who's there?' He asked. 'Doctor.' 'Doctor who?' 'Correct!' I giggled. 'I see what you did there.' My blind friend replied. And that's when I reported him for benefit fraud."

Matt huffed out a laugh, "Okay, points for creativity."

"Thank you." Foggy sang. "Oh hey, stairs." He quickly passed Matt his cane as they came to the entrance of their residence hall.

"What would you do if I said I see them?"

"Report you for benefit fraud."

Matt snorted, then the two were laughing so hard they had to grip the railing to keep from falling over.

"Hey, hey-" Foggy wheezed, "How ironic would it be if everyone went blind in the year 2020?"

Matt released a loud laugh then countered with, "What if there was a braille sign that said: do not touch?"

Foggy had to wipe tears from the corners of his eyes and take a few gasping breaths before he could retaliate. "You know those signs that say 'guide dogs only'? Well who are they directed at, the dog?"

"Don't you know? Reading is one of the skills they learn when training to be an aid dog."

"I did not know that."

Matt chuckled softly before beginning his next joke. "I always like to go driving with my blind friend. Whenever we hit a speed bump I tell him it was a dog."

Foggy's smile fell and his eyes widened in terror. "That is awful! I would never do that to you. Firstly because I am a _way_ better friend than that dude and secondly because I don't have a car!" He stated vehemently.

For whatever reason, the friends found that statement to be even funnier than the joke and were soon gasping for breath once again. The door to their dorm room was jiggled open and the two roommates stumbled in.

Matt collapsed with a contented sigh against his bed. "Thank you." He said sincerely. "For treating me like a guy."

"Well that is what you are." There was a slight shuffling of material as Foggy presumably undressed, then a soft click when he shut off the lights. It wasn't as if Matt needed them to change any way.

"You know," Foggy whispered thoughtfully from his bed, "The guy who sold the first blind man a pair of sunglasses must have been one hell of a salesman."

Matt snorted once again and shook his head in fond exasperation. "Alright Foggy, you win. You have told me multiple new jokes tonight."

"Yes!"

Matt didn't need his eyes to know that Foggy had just fist pumped. "You're such a dork."

"And you're a freaking magician!"

Matt smiled, his eyes staring up at the ceiling sightlessly. He easily slipped out of his clothes and slid under the covers. "Good night Foggy." He called with a happy sigh.

"Good night Matt." He replied. Then the room was engulfed in silence as the two friends lost themselves in their thoughts.

Suddenly Foggy's tired voice shattered the growing peace. "A braille sign that says do not touch."

And the room was once again filled with uncontrollable, tear inducing laughter.


	4. Lonesome Thanksgiving

Three months. Three short months. Foggy couldn't believe that was how little time had passed by. If felt like just yesterday his mother was hugging him goodbye and now he was heading home to see her.

Unfortunately not one of his numerous family members could pick him up, so he was doomed to spend the hour and a half long ride back home cramped on a bus. With a duffel no less! He didn't necessarily _need_ to bring the duffel, but he had a pile of dirty laundry and a free wash machine calling his name.

In his haste to pack, book a bus ticket, and make sure he was ready on time, Foggy had honestly forgotten to ask his roommate what his plans for the holiday were.

When Foggy paused to think about it, he hadn't really seen Matt all day, and they'd both been unbelievably busy with homework the week leading up to break. Sadistic professors and their bullshit midterms left little time to discuss personal plans.

When Foggy awoke at quarter to nine that morning Matt had been dressed with one foot out the door. He'd bid Foggy 'good morning', promised to talk with him before he left, then disappeared out the door.

That had been nearly four hours earlier. Foggy's bus departed at two, any chance of a goodbye were quickly dwindling down to none.

The door opened with a swish and shut with a soft click not a second later. Matt, nose red and runny, stood rubbing his hands together in the threshold of their dorm. "I should've warn my scarf," He commented with a smile. "It's pretty chilly out there."

Foggy blinked at his roommate in confusion. "Were you outside this _whole_ time?"

"Not the whole time, no. I just had a few errands to run. Anyway, when does your bus leave?"

Foggy checked his watch and paled when he saw the time. "Twenty-five minutes, shit I gotta run!"

Matt easily side-stepped out of the way of Foggy's swinging duffel and bid his friend farewell. "Happy Thanksgiving Foggy."

"You too! Talk to ya later!"

The door slammed shut and left an unpleasant ring that lingered in Matt's ears for a minute. When he was certain Foggy hadn't forgotten anything he collapsed onto his bed with a tired groan.

He didn't have anywhere to go for the holiday, just one of the many perks of being an orphan. The fact didn't usually bother him, but when the entire campus was drenched with excited anticipation for the family get-togethers, Matt couldn't help but feel a little depressed.

Which was why he'd chosen to spend the vast majority of his day wondering aimlessly outside. He didn't want to bring down Foggy's mood with his melancholy attitude.

He could last five days on his own. It wasn't the first time he'd had to fend for himself and it sure as hell wouldn't be the last time. Another perk of his existence.

 **A/N: Sorry the ending is kind of a bummer… The next one will be happier, I promise! Also, the next story is coming in two parts. I have the first part written and the second part is in the works. Also also, happy early Thanksgiving everyone! I'll be writing and posting a belated Halloween story as soon as I'm done with the next one! Thanks so much for all the continued support, I wanna give a personal shout-out to Guest Reader Sarah who has reviewed all three chapters so far! :D You are awesome!**

 **Until next time, have a wonderful day/night!**


	5. Home for Christmas

Foggy released a heavy sigh as he flopped onto his bed, large suitcase stuffed to the point of explosion sitting at his feet. 'There." He called exhaustedly to his roommate. "Told ya I'd fit everything in just the one bag."

Matt chuckled softly from his bed, "And do you mind explaining why you must fit everything in just one bag?"

"Because I'm taking the bus home, and there was no way in hell I was gonna cram more than one bag on that bus. What about you?" Foggy glanced at Matt's suitcase. It had been opened but left otherwise untouched.

"I don't need to be packed for a while. And it's not like I own all that much stuff anyway, it won't take me long to pack."

"Huh." Foggy responded with a small nod. "Now that's the way to go. Me, I've got too much crap."

"Yeah you do. And it somehow always manages to migrate to my side of the room."

Foggy gave an incredulous laugh but didn't really try to deny it, he knew it was true. "Yeah. I'll work on that. It'll be my New Year's resolution!"

"I wish you the best of luck but I will not hold out too much faith."

"Ouch Murdock, that one hurt."

Matt leveled an amused blind gaze in Foggy's direction, his eyes hovering just above Foggy's lips. "Foggy, you and I both know that you would last about a week before you'd give up."

Foggy paused a moment, contemplating, then nodded his head. "Yeah I would."

"Thank you for admitting it to yourself. Shouldn't you be heading out? What time does your bus leave?"

"Forty-five minutes." Foggy glanced out the window, sighing in dismay. "I'm just prolonging the inevitable."

"It's really snowing hard, isn't it?"

"Yeah it is! There's a good bunch built up on the ground already and it's still falling in sheets! _And_ they're the giant flakes that get in your ears and eyes and soak everything they touch in like, three seconds flat."

"I can tell you feel very passionately about this." Matt stated, holding back a grin.

"You bet I do! Snow is evil and I hate it."

"You were _just_ saying the other day how much you love snow."

"Yeah well, that was two days ago. When it wasn't falling by the gallon full and soaking my shoes all the way through."

"That's because your shoes have holes in them."

"So not the point!"

"Foggy, if you don't leave soon, you'll miss your bus."

Foggy face-planted and groaned dramatically into his pillow. "I know." He whined, voice muffled by the fabric. "Okay, getting up- now!" In one fluid motion Foggy surged from his bed sheets to his feet, where he stood and stared at his duffel on the floor in dismay.

"Let's go. The sooner you leave, the sooner you'll get to the bus station where it's dry." Matt said with a laugh, standing and making his way across the room. He bent, hefted Foggy's ridiculous bag without so much as a grunt of effort, and plopped it onto his friend's expectantly waiting arm.

"Holy shit!" Foggy groaned as the weight of his duffel almost knocked him over. "So, I may regret my decision." He admitted with a grimace.

"I warned you not to."

"I know."

"And I also told you _when_ you regretted your decision, I would rub it in your face without mercy."

"I know, and I deserve it. Alright, let's hear it Murdock. Do your worst."

"Franklin," Foggy grimaced at the use of his full name. "I absolutely, positively told you so. Now get out of here before you're late."

Foggy smiled and clapped Matt on the shoulder. "Merry Christmas, have a nice break, don't do anything I wouldn't do, and I'll see you in about a month!"

"Same goes to you, except, ya know, the seeing you part."

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask about that. You see by feeling right? So, do you have like, a mental image of what I look like? Does your mental Foggy have abs, because let me tell you-"

"Good _bye_ Foggy." Matt said, exasperated, as he practically pushed his friend out the door, closing it with a loud clap of finality behind him.

Matt released a large sigh of relief, walking back over and collapsing on his bed. "Thought he'd never leave." He groaned to himself.

The campus had one dorm staying open for the few people that had absolutely no where they could go for the holiday. He'd eventually have to pack his stuff but not for a while.

Matt stretched lazily and allowed his mind to wander, his body drifting atop a mass of clouds. He didn't like lying to Foggy, or cleverly avoiding his questions, but there wasn't much else he could do. It wasn't as if he was going to _tell_ Foggy what was going on, that was out of the question. No. He was just going to have to deal with his problems on his own, like he had for most of his life.

It had been about an hour and a half since Foggy had left. Matt figured he should probably get up and actually accomplish something, but he really didn't feel like it. His bed was warm and comfortable, and he was finally getting to relax. But as fate would have it, his moment of peace didn't last long.

The jiggling of a key in the door handle had Matt's heart beating through his chest. He sat up in a flash but didn't have time to move from his position on the bed.

He could tell it was Foggy standing in the doorway, could imagine his friend's look of confusion as he took in the sight before him: Matt sitting erect on his bed, unpacked duffel still lying on the floor.

"Hey." Foggy broke the silence first.

"Hey." Matt echoed, his body deflating as he curled back into his bed a little more. "What happened to the bus?"

"Everything's delayed cause of snowfall." Foggy replied, closing the door and crossing to his own bed. As he walked, Matt noted the distinct lack of a bag.

"And your luggage?"

"I left it at the station, it's not as if anyone is going to steal it. Even if they tried, they'd drag it a foot and give up on account of its ridiculous weight."

Matt huffed out a small laugh but the room was once again filled with an awkward silence.

"So," Foggy began, but didn't show any signs of continuing his thought.

Matt waited in silence, dreading with each passing moment the questions Foggy would ask. But as the silence stretched on, Matt found the waiting was worse than the fear of talking. Like slowly peeling off a band aid instead of simply ripping it off. "I'm not going anywhere for the holiday if that's what you're wondering."

Then the floodgates were opened.

"Why not?" Foggy questioned, with such naïve innocence it made Matt laugh.

"Orphan remember? There really isn't anywhere for me _to_ go."

"No close family friend, or old neighbor?"

Matt just shook his head, eyes downcast. Even though he obviously couldn't see his friend, he couldn't bring himself to even pretend to see him.

"Wait did you- did you spend Thanksgiving here?'"

"Yeah."

"All alone?"

"Yeah." Matt answered slowly, slightly confused as to where the conversation was going.

"God I am an ass!" Foggy exclaimed suddenly.

Matt jumped slightly at the unexpected outburst, but recovered and was quick to defend. "Foggy, no you're not."

"No really, this one takes the cake. I was so wrapped up in my own plans that I didn't even bother to ask my orphaned best friend where he was spending the holiday! Wow, just wow. Congratulations Mr. Nelson, you've officially won the crappiest best friend award!"

"Foggy come on," Matt said with a strained laugh. "Don't you think you're being just a _bit_ hard on yourself?"

"Absolutely not. I mean it Matt, this is a new low for me. I didn't even ask!"

"To be fair, I never really gave you a chance to ask."

Foggy paused for a moment, then heaved a huge sigh of relief. "So it's your fault. I am completely off the hook."

"I mean, I'd say we share the blame."

"But you share _more_ of it, 80-20."

"No, 60-40 at best."

"No way! 70-30 minimum!"

The atmosphere in the room became significantly lighter as laughter echoed around the small space, but Foggy quickly sobered. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"What? That I had nowhere to go?" Matt shrugged. "It never really came up. Plus it's my problem to worry about, and it's not like you could've done anything. I mean, what was I supposed to say? 'Hey Foggy, I don't know if you know this, but I am an orphan and as such I don't have anywhere to go for the holiday.' And then what? You would've said-"

"Come home with me." Foggy interrupted.

"Exactly! And then I would say that I couldn't impose on your family time."

"No, Matt, come home with me. Right now, for winter break."

Matt paused and blinked, eyebrows knitted in confusion. "You're completely missing the point of our hypothetical conversation."

"Matt, I am serious! Come spend Christmas with my family."

"Foggy I _can't_. I can't just show up the day break begins with no warning, that's rude."

"My man, do you _know_ me? Manners are not really a big deal where I come from."

"I can't impose on your family time Foggy I just, I can't."

"Okay fine." Foggy said with a shrug. "Don't do it for yourself. Do it to save my life."

"Save your life?" Matt questioned disbelievingly.

"Yes. Do you have any idea what my mother would do to me if she found out I left my blind orphan friend alone for the holiday?"

"No, but from the way you're talking it would be something violent."

Foggy nodded emphatically, "Yes, it would be violent. I'm telling you, she'd probably impale me. No joke. Most likely with some blunt, unsanitary utensil she found in our shed or something. It would not be pretty."

Matt couldn't help the snicker that escaped his lips.

"You laugh now but you haven't met the woman!"

"Alright!" Matt relented with a sigh, "I consent. I will accompany you home for the holiday, if only to save you from impalement."

"You sir, are a fine gentleman." Foggy said, standing. "Now let's get your crap packed! Hopefully the busses with be running soon!"

 **A/N: Hello all! So I hope you enjoyed part one, part two will hopefully be posted shortly but I have actual real people things to do tomorrow (like *gasp* laundry!) so I make no guarantees.**

 **Now I know that colleges don't have a dorm that stays open over break, at least, I don't think they do. Either way, obviously for the purposes of my story, they do!**

 **Also, the point was brought up in a review that law school** _ **is**_ **grad school, and I don't know if I said law school somewhere or if Columbia is their graduate school, but here's the thing, my sister and I talked about this quite extensively (and when I say extensively, I mean, for like forty minutes over the phone) and we concluded that when you first see Matt and Foggy in the flashback they are attending their first year of undergraduate schooling, because there is no way Foggy would be taking an intro level Punjabi course in graduate school. Correct me if I'm wrong here! Now me, as a non-comic fan, know only what the internet and the tv have told me. So when I looked up information on them and saw that they went to college at Columbia I just assumed that was where they were in Nelson v. Murdock. They could potentially go to both undergrad and grad school at Columbia, so there is that, but for the purposes of these fics, I was basing them off the timeline of when we first met them in college. Pre Landman and Zach. I also know they transferred to Harvard at some point. Basically what I am saying here is my knowledge is pretty limited! And if there is anyone out there who knows a bit more and is willing to share, pm me! I'd love to actually know what I'm talking about, it doesn't happen too often.**

 **Anywho, hopefully that cleared up a few things! Part two will be along shortly, I hope you enjoyed part one! And with that I bid thee adieu, because it is too flipping late, or early depending how you look at, and I should really be sleeping…**


	6. Home for Christmas pt2

**A/N: First off, I apologize for how long this took me to update. School just got super crazy and I didn't have any time to type this up! Second, it just** _ **wouldn't end**_ **! So, it's not been broken up into three parts, and the third part will hopefully not take nearly as long but I can't make any promises. I really hope there aren't too many mistakes here, I typed this up pretty quick and didn't proof read it. Thanks for all the support you've given me so far, I hope you enjoy this installment!**

"Perfect timing!" Foggy commented. They had literally just finished shoving Matt's crap in his duffel when a few brave rays of sun broke through the cloud cover.

"The snow stopped?" Matt guessed.

Foggy nodded, "Mmhmm. Fricking finally. There's still a lot on the ground but I can't imagine the busses will delay too much longer."

"Shall we venture then?"

"We shall!" Foggy extended his arm and after slinging his bag over his shoulder, Matt gripped it and followed his friend out the door.

The walk to the bus station wasn't long, but it was impeded by snow so their progress was slow-going. Eventually though, the duo made it, cheeks red and feet soaked, to the surprisingly abandoned station.

"Why isn't there anyone around?" Foggy questioned, his voice bouncing loudly off the walls.

"There is one person in the men's bathroom, and two in the ladies. Plus the handful of people near the ticket window." Matt pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Oh my goodness!" Foggy released an exasperated hug then amended his original statement. "Why is there _hardly_ anyone around?"

"Gave up on the idea of going home?" Matt shrugged, "How should I know?"

"You are absolutely no help."

"I do try. Where is your bag?"

"Over there." Foggy pointed towards a cluster of empty seats to the right, dragging Matt's arm along with him.

"Well you go grab you bag and I'll go buy a bus ticket."

"No Matt, I can totally spot you the ticket."

"Foggy," Matt cut his friend off, "While I appreciate the offer, I am already a last minute guest. I can't let you pay for my bus fare as well."

"Alright, your loss. I'll be right back."

Matt smiled softly as he listened to Foggy's retreat, then turned and tapped his way to the ticket window.

"Afternoon." He said with a nod to the lady behind to counter.

"Where to Hun?" She asked him. Matt could smell her flower scented perfume and the hazelnut coffee she'd drank with breakfast. Surprisingly the two aromas blended rather well together, giving the lady a very warm and welcome aura.

"One to Monroe please."

"Christmas plans with the family?" The lady asked conversationally.

"Something like that." Matt responded with a smile.

"Here you are Hun."

Matt held out a searching hand and a moment later felt the thick paper of a ticket resting on his palm. He closed his hand around the ticket and flashed the lady one last smile. "Thank you."

"Have a merry Christmas!" She called in response.

"You too." Matt replied, but he really wasn't paying much attention. He was worrying about the holiday, he really didn't want to be a burden to Foggy's family. Maybe he shouldn't have bought the ticket.

"Hey." Foggy's call broke through the veil of worry that had been steadily consuming Matt's mind. "What, she ask you the meaning of life? Why the melancholy thinking face?"

Matt just sighed deeply, his worry showing through. "Are you absolutely sure that I won't cause any problems for your family?"

"I am one hundred percent positive my friend. My mom always makes too much food anyway, and my cousins will enjoy the new meat- I mean face."

Matt bit his lip in nervous uncertainty, "I just really don't want to be a burden Foggy."

"And you won't! Knowing you, you'll find a way to weasel into the kitchen and try to help with supper." Foggy slung an arm around Matt's shoulders and steered them both toward the waiting platform. "Also it's forty-two, the meaning of life. In case you were interested."

"I really wasn't, but thanks anyway."

"You are _most_ welcome."

The bus ride was amazingly not awful. It probably helped that aside form Matt and Foggy there were only three other passengers. Although every one of them protested greatly when Foggy began to sing along obnoxiously to the holiday tunes playing on the radio.

Soon enough the ride was over, a fact for which Matt was eternally grateful. His cheeks were burning red, and not with embarrassment for himself.

"Foggy, I'm fairly certain they are going to ban you from ever using this bus line again. They will have your picture posted and you will be escorted out with prejudice if you ever return."

Foggy laughed, gripping Matt's arm tightly. "I would not be surprised. I'm pretty sure I caught a death glare from the driver."

"That's because you can't sing!"

"No." Foggy countered. 'That is because no one recognizes my creative genius. Oh hey, there they are!"

Matt could only assume Foggy was referring to his aunt and uncle who had graciously volunteered to pick him up from the bus station.

"Hi Aunt Josie, Uncle Mark!" Foggy called to the waiting pair.

His two relatives stood and waved their hellos, and when Foggy was close enough they engaged in the obligatory hugs.

"Uh guys, this is my friend Matt from school. Matt, Aunt Josie and Uncle Mark."

Matt extended his hand and shook both of Foggy's relatives' hands in turn. "Pleasure to meet both of you." He said with a smile, the epitome of charm.

"You as well." Aunt Josie said with a smile, passing a coy look to her husband that went unnoticed by both college students.

"Well the car is outside if you'd like to follow us." Uncle Mark stated, returning Josie's smile with a wink of his own.

The couple own a small but sensible car, with enough room for both boy's bags and spacious back seating so they weren't cramped. With a speed he rarely used Foggy grabbed both their duffels and unceremoniously shoved them into the trunk, then dove into the back seat of the car to escape from the wind. Matt had been a little perturbed after his bag was savagely ripped from his shoulder but he quickly got over it and also sought cover from the fierce winter wind in the warmth of the car.

"So Matt," Josie piped up from the passenger seat as Mark started the car and got the heat blasting. "What is it you're majoring in?"

"Criminal justice, I'm pre-law."

Josie smiled again, "Oh the same as Franklin, how wonderful!"

"Have you given any thought to graduate school yet?" Mark questioned, slowly pulling out of the bus station parking lot.

"Not too much, no. Probably wherever Franklin will let me drag him."

Josie and Mark exchanged another knowing smirk, but Foggy was glancing at the snow outside in dismay and missed it once again.

"You know, it is _so_ nice that Franklin has finally found someone who can put up with him."

"Aunt Josie!" Foggy whined. "You make it sound like I've never had friends before."

"Well how many friends do you have now?" Mark countered.

Matt snorted but quickly covered it up with a cough, he didn't try to hide his amused grin from Foggy though.

Foggy's cheeks burned red and he hung his head in defeat, his shoulders falling. "Just him really." He admitted quietly.

Mark laughed softly, showing amusement but not judgment in the way only family could. "And how much time do you two spend together?"

"Enough." Matt responded at the same time Foggy replied, "Too much."

Josie nodded her head softly, "And what of your roommate Franklin, does he mind when Matt is around?"

"Well actually, Matt _is_ my roommate."

"Oh, that must make things _much_ easier for the two of you."

Foggy's eyebrows dove in confusion, "Make what easier?" He questioned slowly, this time catching the sly smile passed between his relatives. "Wait, you don't think that we're- Matt's not my- I'm not gay!"

"Well," Matt countered, "When we first met you _did_ call me very attractive."

Foggy turned wide eyes to his friend in shocked disbelief. "In a completely manly, bro to bro sort of way! Matt, you are _not_ helping my case right now!"

Matt simply grinned in a way that suggested he'd known what was going on the whole time.

"Unbelievable, all three of you. Un-be-lievable."

Foggy's aunt and uncle fumbled for a moment, Mark settling on an uncomfortable cough while Josie attempted to find the words to form an apology. Matt could picture the pink tint to her cheeks, the nervous fidgeting of her hands.

"I am so sorry. We just, well we saw you and-"

"And just assumed we were a couple!" Foggy interrupted. Matt knew Foggy's voice well enough to know that he wasn't actually that upset, more taken by surprise than anything, but it was apparent that his relatives were less fortunate. "Why is your first assumption upon meeting my friend that we are together?"

"You were walking pretty close together." Mark responded.

Foggy groaned, remembering slinging his arm over Matt's shoulders and how that must have looked.

"Not to mention you introduced him as your friend," Josie said with a smile.

"Foggy," Matt began, "Do you know how gay we look when we walk around practically holding hands?"

"Do you?" Foggy immediately shot back.

Matt heard Josie gasp from the front seat but paid her no mind. "It was an understandable assumption to make and you know it." He finished with an amused grin.

Foggy remained silent for a moment, arms crossed over his chest and eyes narrowed. He saw both his relatives glancing at him nervously through the rear-view mirror. Matt's eyebrow was raised expectantly and his entire face screamed at Foggy to cut the bullshit. Foggy wasn't sure how he felt about his blind roommate being able to see through him better than his own family but Matt was incredibly smart and they did spend more time together than Foggy did with any of his distant relatives. "Alright fine. I _suppose_ I'll forgive you."

"That's very big of you Franklin." Matt stated with a full-fledged grin, although Josie and Mark seemed physically relieved.

Slowly the car pulled to a stop alongside the curb and Mark cut the engine. "Here we are." He called, happy to have something to take their minds off the awkwardness of the previous conversation.

Foggy couldn't help but smile up at his house. It'd been a while since he'd seen it and he found he was very happy to be home.

The doors to the car opened and everyone shivered, the biting cold air a sharp contrast to the heated interior.

The four hustled towards the door and the promise of warmth, protecting their exposed faces and hands as much as possible.

Upon entering Foggy pulled Matt off the side, away from where his aunt and uncle were saying their hellos. "Okay so, I'm gonna run and talk to my mom quick. You can make yourself comfy, don't be afraid to mingle."

Matt nodded, "Alright."

Foggy turned to leave but paused and spun back around. "I'd also like to sincerely apologize on behalf of my ancestors for what happened in the car. And I'd _love_ to say the rest of my family wasn't that bad, but it'd be a lie. A vicious, vicious lie." Then after offering Matt a soft pat on the shoulder Foggy was gone, lost in the fray of sounds and smells.

Matt could almost make out where the living room was, but he always had a hard time navigating in new places, especially new crowded places. So he just ended up standing awkwardly where Foggy had left him, attempting not to draw too much attention to himself.

He could hear a bunch of different conversations going on, one person complementing another, a couple children discussing what they hoped Santa would bring them. One hushed conversation in particular, however, grabbed Matt's attention.

"I don't know, he came in with Foggy." A feminine voice whispered to a group of three other people, two more girls and one boy.

"You don't think they're together do you? Like, _together_ together?" A different girl asked, but was immediately shot down by the third girl.

"Foggy's not gay Chelsey. They're probably just really good friends from school."

"But he's blind right?" The male spoke up slowly.

"No shit Sherlock, what gave it away, the glasses or the cane?" The third girl retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Hey, I didn't wanna assume anything Tristen."

"It's a pretty safe assumption to make Josh." The second girl, Chelsey, laughed.

"Hey." Foggy's voice pulled Matt away from the conversation he'd been eavesdropping on. "I said to make yourself at home and you're just standing here awkwardly."

Matt shrugged sheepishly, "I didn't really know where to go."

"Oh man, I totally didn't even think about that! I'll have to give you the grand tour eventually, but that can wait. Right now, my mom wants to meet you!"

"Lead the way." Matt stated confidently, but his heart rate had just elevated slightly.

Foggy and Matt made their way through the throng of people all stuffed in Foggy's house. The smell of food grew stronger the further into the house they walked and Matt figured their destination was the kitchen.

There was a lot of food cooking, but given the size of Foggy's family, Matt shouldn't have been surprised. Still, he counted three different meats, four veggies, two fruits, and a giant bowl of gravy. Not to mention the desserts, Matt counted at least five different flavors of cookie.

"Wow." He hadn't meant for it to sound rude, he was just taken by surprise and didn't know what else to say.

"I know, it's a _ton_ of food. But I've got a pack of wild animals to feed so, it's necessary. My name's Rosalind, it's nice to finally meet you."

Matt heard Rosalind slap her hands against her legs and inhaled flour a moment later. "Matt," He responded. "It's lovely to meet you as well." He reached his hand out and a moment later felt the firm grasp of a petit hand still covered in flour. "I apologize for coming on such short notice, I hope it's not a problem."

"Oh not at all." Rosalind said as she turned back to the counter. "Foggy explained how you didn't have somewhere to stay and I've got more than enough room. It's my pleasure, really."

"Yeah, free food, what could be better?" Foggy piped up. "Mind you, we won't have any presents for you."

"Oh nonsense Frankie, we'll give 'im your presents."

"Mom!" Foggy cried, but whether it was in protest to the use of an obviously outdated nickname or the threat of a loss of presents Matt wasn't sure. It was probably a combination of the two.

"Now get outta here, I've got food to cook." Rosalind fondly smacked at her son with her kitchen rag, spreading even more flour in the already messy kitchen.

"Abuse! This is abuse! Matt are you seeing this?"

"No." Matt stated blandly, his face completely serious.

Foggy sighed in dismay. "I walked right into that one."

"Yeah you did." Rosalind and Matt replied simultaneously.

Foggy's eyes widened in terror. "Oh dear lord, you two are more alike than I originally thought. What have I done?"

"Franklin, show this fine young gentleman to your room. And where are your bags?"

Foggy released a large sigh that morphed into a fake sob. "Still in the car."

"Well go bring them inside!"

"Alright Matt, let's go."

"Oh no," Rosalind interrupted before Matt could even open his mouth to protest. "You can manage the bags on your own. I want Matt's candid opinion on the taste of my fudge."

"Why not my opinion? Your loving son?"

"Are you kidding? I don't trust you. Now get a move on, those bags won't carry themselves in."

"This is what I've had to put up with my entire life." Foggy complained.

"My dear friend, however did you survive such hardship?" Matt shot back.

"Let me tell you, it hasn't been easy."

Rosalind turned back to her son, hands on her hips, eyebrows raised expectantly.

"I know, I know, bags. I'm going ya harpie."

Matt couldn't see the look Rosalind gave her son after that comment, but it must have been terrifying because it had Foggy running out of the kitchen faster than a jack-rabbit being chased by wolves.

"That boy," Rosalind grumbled, but Matt could tell there was no real malice in it.

Matt smiled and shook his head, "So, I'm tasting fudge?"

"Yes. Here it is, it's pretty fresh too." Rosalind placed a small square of warm chocolate in Matt's open palm then waited expectantly as he took a small bite.

The flavor was astounding, and the texture was smooth and creamy. Matt couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten something so good, it he'd ever eaten anything as delicious as the fudge in his mouth. "This is absolutely amazing Mrs. Nelson."

"Do you really think so?" She sounded hopeful and excited, the tone of her voice glowed yellow and almost pink.

"Yes, I really do."

"Oh thank goodness." Rosalind heaved a sigh of relief. "I was afraid I'd ruined it, I accidentally poured in too much vanilla."

"Well I couldn't tell at all."

Their conversation was interrupted by the loud bang of the front door and Foggy's grunts of effort as he dragged both bags inside.

"I wouldn't have sent him alone if I'd known the bags were so heavy." Rosalind said in sympathy.

"Oh don't worry, I'm sure ninety-five percent of that is acting. Plus his bag is the heaviest, he totally deserves it. Thank you for the fudge Mrs. Nelson." Matt said with a smile, gripping his cane and tapping his way to the front door, where Foggy was bent over, hands on his knees and heaving gusts of air to try and catch his breath.

"Don't be such a drama queen, they aren't that heavy."

"You weren't the one that had to carry them through the snow and the wind!"

"Let me guess, uphill both ways?"

"You've got it my friend."

Matt couldn't help but smirk. "Well, would you like me to carry them to your room?"

"And admit defeat?" Foggy sounded affronted. "Absolutely not! This is a challenge now and I shall prevail! And when I do, it will only make tonight's celebratory meal all the more satisfactory! Now follow me upstairs to my humble abode. I mean, I know you can't see me but-"

"Foggy, the noise of your struggles will guide me."

"Ha ha, that would almost sound sweet were I not slowly dying."

"Last I checked no one has died from carrying a couple heavy bags up a flight of stairs."

"Hey, there's a first time for everything." Foggy stated optimistically, bending and groaning with effort as he hefted the bags over his shoulders once more.

Matt easily navigated through the unfamiliar territory, but he assumed the path Foggy was forging with the sheer girth of the bags made his life a lot easier. He paused for a moment when his cane tapped against the bottom stair but he'd already known from the shift in air currents around Foggy that the staircase was there.

"Okay." Foggy called from ahead of him, voice muffled through a wall. "So here's my room. We can set up another bed on the floor, I'm pretty sure we still have that extra mattress."

Foggy continued talking, softly and in the unobtrusive way he sometimes did when Matt was studying, allowing Matt to devote a little more energy to taking in his surroundings.

Foggy's room was fairly small, with one window on the far wall. His bed sat beneath it, the covers adorning it smelled used, but in a loved way.

There was an old lamp that Foggy had just turned on sitting atop a worn night stand, sucking electricity greedily from the socket.

Foggy's dresser stood against the back wall, towards the interior of the house. It was long and stout and covered with all sorts of knick-knacks; the polar opposite of Matt's own dresser back at school.

Matt could even hear the slight rustle of posters on the wall, but as to what was on the posters, well that was a complete mystery. If he had to hazard a guess, he'd say either nerdy movie, or very hot girl, possibly some combination of the two.

"I like it." Matt said at last.

"What's to like?" Foggy questioned, genuinely curious. "It's just a room."

"Yeah but it's- I don't know how to describe it. I guess it just feels homey."

"Huh." Foggy paused and glanced around his room, trying to take it all in and see what Matt was seeing. "It's just my room man." He finally gave up with a laugh.

"Yeah." Matt agreed softly, but the feeling of content didn't go away.

"Alright, we should probably go mingle. It _is_ Christmas after all. One of the few times my whole family is actually together."

"Okay." Matt nodded his head nervously.

"Mingling Matthew, it's not that hard. It's just small talk."

"Small talk, right. You can do this." Matt whispered to himself, following Foggy out of the room and into the noise of the downstairs.


	7. Home for Christmas pt3

As the evening progressed, Matt discovered loudness was actually an inherited trait shared by all of Foggy's relatives. He also found his friend wasn't the only one with a propensity to sing festive songs very loudly and _very_ off-key. But overall Matt found he had a very good time.

Things had been slightly awkward at first, with Matt sitting stiffly on the sofa and the rest of Foggy's family not quite sure how to act around him. Then Tristen had stated that it was probably a good thing Matt couldn't see Foggy because his facial hair alone would've had him fleeing in terror, and just like that the tension had been broken.

"I don't know how I raised such a slob." Rosalind jested over dinner.

"Oh believe me, I know. His crap ends up on my half of the room _all_ the time!"

"And he's so loud!" Chelsey put in.

"Does he ever stop talking?" Matt questioned.

Rosalind just laughed, "So far no. If you find a way to shut him up you need to let the rest of us know."

"Why is this gang up on Foggy night!" Foggy demanded. He sounded offended but Matt could tell he was just playing along.

"Because you make it so easy." Matt immediately shot back, and the whole table erupted into laughter.

Supper was quickly finished and after the dishes had been hastily cleaned off and the food put away the entire Nelson family crammed into the living room to participate in a Nelson family tradition: watching an older Christmas or holiday movie.

"Have you ever seen Home Alone?" Foggy asked as the two burrowed their way onto the cramped couch.

"Can't say that I have." Matt responded, eliciting a snicker from a few of the cousins.

"You know what I mean!" Foggy flailed his arms in exasperation. "Plus you had nine years to _actually_ see it."

"Christmas movies were never really a big tradition in my household."

"Why not?" One of Foggy's younger cousins, Taylor, piped up from his spot on the floor.

Matt shifted uncomfortably. "We just didn't watch a whole lot of tv."

Foggy, sensing his friend's unease, quickly brought the topic back to what they had originally been talking about. "So Home Alone, it's a movie about MacGyver's child growing up with the worst family in the history of forever."

"Ah. Sounds like an interesting premise."

"That's not what the movie's about at all." Chris started, leaning over Foggy and Tristen to talk more directly to Matt. "The kid's parents accidentally leave him alone when they go on vacation and he has to defend the house from thieves."

"Which he does using very MacGyver-like traps! I'm telling ya, there's some sort of familial relation."

"The movie's starting!" Taylor cried, wiggling around enthusiastically. "Everybody shhhh, you know the rule!"

Matt leaned over to Foggy, smiling in amused curiosity. "What's the rule?" He whispered.

"No talking during the family movie." Foggy responded, then sat up a little straighter on the couch cushions and raised his hand into the air like a child in school. "Madam Mother, I move to waiver the 'no talking' rule for the duration of tonight's entertainment."

Rosalind released an incredulous laugh, "Not on your life. You know you're the reason we made that rule in the first place."

"Ok, I was like, 45% of the cause, but I'll let that slide. Seriously though, if I don't narrate, how will Matt know what's going on?"

Matt's eyes widened and he felt the burn of embarrassment in his cheeks. "I'll be fine, you don't need to break a family rule for me." He began hastily.

"Nonsense." Rosalind interrupted gently. "I hadn't even taken that into consideration Matt, I'm so sorry."

"No it's alright, not many people do."

"I do!" Foggy stated gleefully, waving his hand through the air. "I'm one of the few."

"Yeah, but with the way you narrate things, I almost wish you weren't."

Matt heard Tristen and probably Chris snicker.

Foggy gasped in mock offense. "You love my narrating."

"Bet he only says that so he doesn't hurt your feelings." Chelsey joked.

"Hey!" Taylor called everyone's attention. "The movie is actually starting and only Foggy gets to break the no talking rule!"

"Alright, alright. We'll stop. But that means you have to stop too!"

Taylor squealed with joy and tried to wriggle away as Tristen began to tickle him, but after that the room lapsed into silence and Matt listened as the opening credits began to play.

True to the words Taylor had spoken Foggy was the only one breaking the family's 'no talking' rule. At least, for the first half of the movie. But as the movie commenced, others began to offer up their own thoughts and opinions, describing what was going on so Matt could see the screen too.

"Oh, I hate this part!" Chelsey groaned. "He's barefoot now and-" Her small squeal of discomfort was soon drowned out by the robber's scream of pain from the tv.

Matt winced in sympathy, remembering the image of a small nail stuck to a tar covered step Foggy had so adeptly painted for him earlier. "Ouch."

"Yeah ouch. I cringe every time I watch that."

"Only because you're a big baby!"

Matt felt a rush of air past his face as Chelsey threw a pillow at Josh, who of course retaliated.

It didn't take long for the entire couch to get involved, tossing and smacking one another with any extra pillows they could find.

"Matt, shield your delicate face!" Foggy cried dramatically, raising his own hands to defend his friend from the possibility of assault by pillow. His efforts were impeded however, when a pillow smacked into the back of his head and he of course had to defend his honor.

Matt did his best to enjoy the fray whilst also remaining out of it, but inevitably contact was made. A pillow meant for Foggy smacked directly into the side of his head. Chris had barely begun to formulate an apology when the pillow sailed back through the air and she was forced to cower behind her arms to protect her face.

"Dude." Josh whistled, having seen the pillow connect with its intended target. "Awesome throw! How'd you do that?"

The room fell silent and Matt felt the family's interested gaze center on him. He shifted uncomfortably for a moment, "Um, it's really just a matter of trajectory. I can tell where the throw originated from based on the angle it hit me, and stuff."

"Huh. Cool."

Attention gradually turned back to the tv, but the smile on Foggy's face wasn't at all related to the movie.

"His head's on fire, his head's on fire!" Taylor squealed, giggling loudly as the second robber screamed in shocked pain.

"Now he's going for the toilet." Chris informed.

"Wait, the toilet filled with-" Matt began to ask, but was interrupted by the sound of an explosion from the tv.

"Yep. That toilet." Tristen laughed.

"Here's the best part!" Josh called. "Wait for it."

The living room was engulfed in silence and Matt could picture everyone leaning closer to the screen, waiting in excited anticipation for whatever was about to happen.

"Heads up!" He heard the second robber shout. The first one made a sound of confusion, then something definitely smacked into him.

"What'd he just get hit with?" Matt asked Foggy over the laughter of his cousins.

"A paint can. Here comes another one!"

Matt winced as he heard the second paint can connect with skin. "Ow. How does someone walk away from that?"

"Matt, this is not meant to be an accurate representation of real life."

"Thank you Foggy, I gathered that."

Foggy snickered at Matt's deadpan tone, turning his attention back to the movie.

"So the man actually called his daughter." Matt stated with a smile. "That's sweet."

"Yep. And that's the end. So what'd you think?"

Matt couldn't help the laugh that escaped his throat. "I think it was ridiculously wonderful."

"Great!" Chelsey said. "Next year we can watch the sequel!"

"Wait, this happens again? How awful are this kid's parents!"

"Oh no, it's ok." Josh reassured. "The second time they get separated in an airport. Totally different."

"Yeah cause that makes it any better." Tristen laughed. "You can't just excuse losing your child so easily. I mean seriously."

"Alright your ruffians." Rosalind called everyone's attention. "It's getting pretty late and the younger kids need to get to sleep."

"What do you mean the younger kids?" Chris said around a yawn. " _I_ need some sleep."

Foggy had explained to Matt earlier that it was a family tradition for his cousins to spend Christmas night at his house. That way they could stay as late as they wanted and didn't have to worry about driving home when they were tired. Most of his elder aunts and uncles had already left, but they all lived really close to one another so arranging for rides was never difficult.

"Good night everyone!" Taylor called, already in his pajamas and ready for bed.

"Good night." The family chorused.

Matt and Foggy made their way upstairs and closed the door behind them.

"Well I had fun." Foggy said with a sigh, falling onto his bed in content.

"I did too. Thanks, for letting me crash with you."

"Any time, and I mean it. Also, now that my family has met you, I think it'll just be expected that I bring you home with me."

"Foggy, I couldn't possibly come home with your every time-"

"Why not?" Foggy interrupted, sitting up and gazing at his friend with an inquisitive look that was totally lost on him.

"Because," Matt sputtered "I just, I can't be always depending on your family."

"Why not?" Foggy asked again.

Matt sighed, sitting down on the extra mattress Foggy had managed to dig up earlier. "I don't want to be a charity case." He admitted quietly.

"Well, you're not. If that's what you think you are, you're not. I invited you because I didn't want you to be alone for Christmas. My family accepted you because they're awesome. Believe me, you can't get a Nelson to do something they don't want to do. Also it's very hard to say no when they have their mind set on something. Just a fair warning."

"I suppose I'll keep that in mind. Good night Foggy."

"Night Matt."

The next morning Matt was greeted with the delicious smell of waffles, maple syrup, and strawberries.

"Your mother is wonderful." He said with a grin, relishing in the scents wafting up the steps.

"Don't let her hear you say that." Foggy said with a groan as he rolled over and stretched. "It'll go straight to her head."

Matt laughed softly before rolling off his mattress.

"Why are you getting up, it's too early for that."

"Foggy," Matt said, brushing his fingers over his braille watch. "It's quarter to eleven."

"Exactly my point. Too early."

"Come on, I smell breakfast and it smells amazing."

Foggy rolled his eyes before forcing himself to sit up. Rubbing the last remaining bits of sleep from his eyes Foggy stood and followed Matt out the door. They were greeted with a chorus of 'good mornings', the whole kitchen lighting up with warmth.

Matt looked slightly taken aback when his plate was piled full with all different types of food, waffles, hash browns, bacon, and sausage.

Foggy smiled softly as a look of content settled over Matt's features. He could try to deny it all he wanted but Foggy knew Matt never wanted to be alone for Christmas, he was just too nice of a person to ask. Too afraid of being a burden. Foggy wasn't sure where or when those types of thoughts had popped into Matt's head, but he was determined to prove to him that he was not, and never would be, a burden to anyone. Matt would be back for Christmas with the Nelsons the next year, the smile on his face reassured Foggy of that fact. Plus, like he'd told Matt the previous night, it was very hard to say no to a determined Nelson. And Foggy was nothing if not determined.

 **A/N: First off I would like to apologize for how stupidly long it took for me to finish this chapter. It just wasn't happening and I really don't know why. Anyway, there will be three other Christmas chapters, but as to what actually happens, well, that'll have to be a surprise. Also, Foggy's dad has just never worked his way in so I am officially saying that he is not in the picture. Why? I don't know, maybe I'll bring it up some other time.**

 **I'm not sure what the next chapter is going to be or when I will be posting it. I do have a Halloween idea, so that could happen. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.**

 **Thanks to everyone who has favorited, or followed, but especially those who have reviewed! I really appreciate the input. Also, kudos to you if you can figure out the error in my chapter. Hint: it has to do with the Home Alone narration. (Which I don't own by the way. It is a wonderful movie though!)**

 **Anywho, thanks a ton! Hope you enjoyed this and until next time! Have a nice day!**


	8. Backstories and Bonding

**A/N: Alright, so I believe I already mentioned that these chapters were not being published in chronological order, but in case I didn't: I am not publishing my chapters in any sort of chronological order. So I know I said I would by posting the Halloween chapter next, and I'm actually almost done writing that, but this little snippet popped into my head and just wouldn't leave me alone. It takes place before Lonesome Thanksgiving and obviously before the Home for Christmas arc. I hope you enjoy it, it's really just more bonding for our boys!**

"But, I thought you said you grew up in Hell's Kitchen?" Matt questioned, halting Foggy's almost mindless tirade mid-sentence.

Foggy paused for a moment, almost shocked that Matt had actually been paying attention. He did that a lot come to think of it, just kind of let his mouth wander to fill the silence of the room. Matt had never once complained so Foggy figured he couldn't have a huge problem with it, but he also never figured Matt really paid attention to what he was saying. "Yeah I- I did. Spent my whole childhood there actually. My mom just moved this past year, before I started college."

"Why?" Matt looked genuinely interested as he placed his book off to the side, homework discarded and forgotten for the moment.

"Family mainly. I have a _huge_ extended family, like, ginormous."

"Advanced mathematical term there."

"Oh yes, very advanced. So yeah, she got a nice big house in an uppity looking neighborhood with a backyard and a pool."

"It sounds like you're not a huge fan."

"No believe me, the place is wonderful. The neighborhood on the other hand, well that's gonna take some getting used to." Foggy sighed heavily, falling back against his headrest. "It's just, you _know_ Hell's Kitchen. You know what it's like, the type of people that live there. That's the type of people I'm used to being around. This new place, it's filled with families and grandmas and everybody's in somebody else's business."

Matt released a small huff of a laugh, shaking his head at the thought. "It sounds- interesting." He chose his words carefully, not wanting to offend Foggy.

"Yeah well you can be the judge of that."

Matt's eyebrows dove together, "I can?" He asked hesitantly.

Foggy didn't seem to take notice to his friend's shift in tone. "Yeah I mean, I assume you'll come over eventually. My mom wants to meet you and believe me, when she has her mind set to something, not even an act of God could stop her."

Matt released another tiny, almost disbelieving laugh, more shocked than anything else.

The laugh got Foggy's attention and he glanced up from his computer screen, taking in the small, confused smile on Matt's face. "What is it?"

"Uh, i-it's-" Matt fumbled for words for a moment, before quickly shaking his head with a short sigh. "It's nothing."

"Matt?"

"No really, I'm being ridiculous."

"Matthew what's going on?" Foggy demanded, sounding like a scolding school teacher.

Matt remained silent for a moment, biting his bottom lip in nervous contemplation. He finally conceded with a long sigh. "I've just, never been invited to someone's house before."

Foggy blinked. "Oh." Blinked again. "Well, you can scratch that off your bucket list I guess."

"Yeah I guess I can." Matt replied quietly. He heard the tapping of keys as Foggy went back to typing up one of his assignments, but Matt couldn't contain the small smile of joy the thought of actually being invited to someone's house, a _friend's_ house, brought him.

He'd been a fairly reclusive child, minding his own business and not really making actual friendships with anyone. Of course after the accident, kids didn't want anything to do with him, and he'd embraced the solitude. He'd gotten so used to not having anyone, to believing he was _okay_ with not having anyone.

Matt sought out his book, finding it hidden beneath his covers. As he settled back in to read he found the smile of content still present on his lips, and as Foggy continued to babbled nonsense, he discovered he was okay with not wanting it to go away just yet.


	9. All Hallows' Eve

It was late Saturday afternoon; Matt was busy studying for a psychology test. Foggy _should_ have been studying for the same test but was instead spending his time playing some game on his computer.

He'd talk periodically, and Matt would half listen, inserting the proper responses whenever needed, but their dorm remained otherwise silent save the click of keys and the gentle slide of fingers against braille.

"Hey, are you dressing up for Halloween?" Foggy asked suddenly. The afore-mentioned holiday was less than two weeks away; Foggy knew he wanted to dress up but he didn't have any idea as to what he should be.

"Um," Matt began, taking a moment to finish reading the sentence he was on then placing his book gently in his lap. "Actually yeah. What about you?"

Foggy shrugged, "I don't really know who I should be. Who are you going as?"

"Sherlock Holmes." Matt said with a small grin that only widened when Foggy expressed his enthusiastic opinion.

"What? No way! That is _so_ cool! Hey, can I be your Watson?"

"I don't see why not." Matt replied with a shrug.

"Sweet, this is gonna be awesome. What made you decide to go as Holmes, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Not at all." Matt sat up a little straighter in his bed, careful not to dump any books onto the floor. "I'd been thinking about it for a while. I knew I wanted to dress up but I wasn't sure who I wanted to be. And I've always been a fan of the Holmes mysteries."

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me." Foggy mumbled to himself, completely aware that Matt could hear him.

"So that's about it. I came up with the idea and decided to stick with it. I mean, I know it's a little ridiculous because, well, there's absolutely no way I could actually pull off Sherlock Holmes."

"Why not?"

Matt faltered, then laughed in questioning disbelief. "Because Sherlock solved crimes through deduction. Something that almost exclusively requires eyesight."

"Yeah, but you've got some mad skills of your own. Like how you always know if a girl is attractive or not."

Matt shook his head with a grin, "That's just luck Foggy."

"And what, you don't think Mr. Holmes was never the beneficiary of some good luck?" Foggy countered. "What about the time he survived an impromptu cliff dive?"

"Mr. Nelson, you surprise me. I didn't know you'd read any Conan Doyle."

"Well you don't know all there is to know about me yet. Plus," Foggy paused, then mumbled the rest of his sentence out sheepishly. "It was for a high school English assignment."

"Ah." Matt nodded. "That explains it."

"Hey, I do not appreciate the judgmental tone there. Just because you read fricking Doyle and Thurgood Marshall for fun."

"Well if you read _any_ thing for fun we might have something to talk about."

"Ouch, I felt the heat off that one."

Matt and Foggy paused a moment as they both laughed softly.

"So do you have your costume yet?" Foggy questioned.

"Yeah, I got it a while ago. Sorry."

"No it's okay. You can still come with me when I get mine."

"And what? Tell you how it _looks_?" Matt's chuckle died in his throat as he realized Foggy was completely serious.

"Exactly!" Foggy beamed, going back to his game.

"Uh, I'm noticing a slight flaw in your plan there."

"Nah, it'll be great! Trust me."

 _~DD~_

As it turned out, slapping a costume together with less than two weeks until Halloween was not all that difficult. All the thrift shops near campus were full of stuff for the holiday, and sooner than either of them had dreamed, Foggy had constructed a Watson costume that closely resembled the style of Matt's costume.

"Dude, this is gonna be so epic." Foggy grinned as they headed back to the dorm, plastic bags rustling as they bumped against his leg.

"If you say so." Matt chortled.

Foggy turned to his friend, affronted. "Are you not excited? I'm _so_ excited. Why aren't you excited?"

"Foggy, I _am_ excited. I was just giving you a hard time. Now hurry up, I have that psych exam to study for."

"Dude, you've been studying that for ages." Foggy called to Matt's retreating form.

"That's because it's gonna be kinda hard." Matt called in reply, not even bothering to turn around or slow his gait. " _You_ should really be studying too."

Foggy's eyes widened and his face went pale. "Aw shit." He groaned, taking off after Matt with a new objective for the afternoon.

 _~DD~_

The exam hadn't been all that bad. At least, that was what Foggy told himself. Hopefully he'd been able to skirt past with a C or something. Any grade he received higher than an F was entirely thanks to Matt, who'd helped him quiz and study so he felt just a smidge more prepared.

But none of that mattered at the moment. Sure, his professors were evil and they had all assigned massive amounts of homework to do over the weekend, but he didn't really care. Nor did he have any intention of actually completing said homework.

It was finally Halloween, October 31st, All Hallows' Eve, and Foggy was absolutely pumped.

He had excitedly donned his costume first thing in the morning, then subsequently badgered Matt until he'd relented and put his costume on as well.

Finally though, the sun began to set, and the monsters crept out of the cracks and crevices to wander the streets freely.

Matt and Foggy didn't really have an exact plan for the evening; there were plenty of parties going on and while Foggy had no aversion to alcohol, he knew Matt wasn't a fan of large, rambunctious crowds. So they tended to shy away from the louder groups and just aimlessly wandered the streets.

Matt, having forgone the came because it 'totally didn't match the costume' –Foggy's words, not his- clung to his friend's arm tightly. There were a lot of people out and he _really_ didn't want to get swept away in a crowd. If Foggy minded, or even noticed the increased pressure on his arm, he didn't say anything.

"Alright, so there's a pretty good selection of costumes out here tonight. Oh, we've got a mermaid. She looks cold."

Matt cringed in sympathy. It may have been abnormally warm for the time of year, but he could still feel the wind biting at his skin through a jacket, he couldn't imagine being without it.

"Lumberjack. Scarecrow. Oh, crash-test dummy, that's kinda cool." Foggy paused, presumably as he looked around at more costumes, then his voice picked up again as he began to call out the costumes as they walked past. "Another mermaid. Another lumberjack. He's got a fake beard though, slacker."

"Maybe he didn't have time to grow a real one."

"Then he shouldn't have been a lumberjack. Halloween is a ruthless time of year my friend, and costume slackers shall be shown no mercy."

"You uh, feel pretty strongly about this, don't you?" Matt questioned with a chuckle.

"Oh yes. Why do you think I had to put together the perfect costume? In my family, Halloween is a sport, and you do _not_ want to come in last place. Oh um, there are three people connected up ahead, and I am not really sure what to make of that."

"Wait, for real? They're connected?"

"Yep. And trust me, it looks as awkward as it sounds."

Matt laughed, picturing three people all attempting to waddle at the same pace.

"He's a, carrot?" Foggy's questioning voice drew Matt out of his daydream. "He was wearing a full orange onesie with a tuft of green on top so we're going with carrot."

"Why would you- why?" Matt asked, brow furrowed in obvious confusion.

"I mean, some people just use what they've got. You've gotta at least give them kudos for trying."

"Alright, whatever you say. What else is there?"

"Sexy Starbucks."

Matt paused a moment, unsure if he had misheard his friend or not. "Wait, what?"

"Don't even ask just, don't."

Matt laughed again, this time at Foggy's obvious discomfort. As the wind picked up however, he couldn't quite suppress a shiver.

"Hey, do you wanna head back?" Foggy asked immediately.

"Only if you want to, I'd hate to cut your evening short."

"No it's okay, there's only so many lumberjacks you can see before they all start blending together anyway."

The two friends quickly trekked back to their dorm, noses runny and lips numb by the time they arrived.

"I'm gonna make hot chocolate, want some?"

"Yes please." Matt responded eagerly, rubbing his fingers together to try and return feeling to them.

"Hey, at least there was no snow on the ground." Foggy called as he dumped the contents of two water bottles into separate glasses, then placed them both in the microwave.

"Ever the optimistic one." Matt mumbled with a smile.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, I was just agreeing with you." Matt said with a soft sigh, listening to the sounds of Foggy stirring chocolate powder into the water.

Foggy narrowed his eyes in suspicion but decided not to press the matter further, content to sit with his hot chocolate, the warm pressure of Matt's shoulder against his enough to put a smile on his face.

 **A/N: Oh my lanta. I am so sorry for how stupidly long it's been since I've updated. Seriously, I have only myself to blame, I am a lazy mofo! But yes, that was it, the long awaited Halloween chapter! Hopefully it didn't disappoint!**

 **So, fun fact! I actually went as Daredevil for Halloween (the black ninja outfit, not the flashy red one) and I couldn't really see out of the mask –go figure- so I clung to my sister's arm and she described the costumes as we walked past. So basically all that dialogue with Foggy telling Matt the costumes, that was actually what my sissy told me. ALSO, not to brag or nothin' but as we're walking I hear someone behind me go: "It's Daredevil." *fist pump* Yep, someone recognized me, so it was a damn good costume. :D**

 **Anyway, Happy belated EVERYTHING! Seriously, Halloween, Christmas, New Years, all that jazz! *and all that jazz* Hopefully 2016 has already been amazing for y'all and blessings as the year continues!**

 **~Spring.**


	10. Dining Hall Antics

**A/N: Okay, so as an apology, I will post two chapters in one day! Hurray! I mean, this one is so short is barely counts, but I can totally see it happening so, whatever! Also, this story has officially reached double digits! Chapter ten, oh yeah! Thanks to everyone who's stuck with me thus far, reviews and favorites, and follows light up my world and motivate me to actually continue this!**

 **Please remember that I will take prompts from people! I have a good handful of ideas left to write still, but if there's something specific you want to see, don't hesitate to ask! I'll do my best to fulfill everybody's wishes! Now, without further ado, please enjoy!**

Classes that day had been a total bitch. The worst part was, Foggy and Matt had different schedules, so Foggy couldn't even complain to him when he got bored, or confused, or bored _and_ confused.

In all honesty, the classes weren't really _that_ bad. Foggy just hated to be without a friend. And in a giant lecture of nearly 500 people, one couldn't really make friends easily. Well, _Foggy_ couldn't make friends easily. He had a huge neon sign shouting the word 'AWKWARD' hanging around his neck and flashing for the amusement of the entire world. He'd just been lucky enough to be blessed with a roommate who was unable to see it.

So, needless to say, lunch was probably his favorite time of day. He and Matt always met up for lunch, that way neither of them had to eat alone. Also Foggy could tell Matt what selections for food they had, and which selections actually looked edible. And while Foggy was fairly certain Matt _could_ distinguish his options on his own, he knew having Foggy just _tell_ him was much easier.

Unfortunately, the dining hall on campus was packed, like, barely any room to even maneuver packed. And Foggy had to somehow find his blind friend in the middle of it all.

"Matt?" He called. A few people turned their heads but none were who he was looking for. With a weary sigh Foggy shuffled his way to the middle of the hall, and with a deep breath and no regard to the people around him, shouted at the top of his lungs, "Marco!"

It was a moment before a quieter, weary sounding "Polo" could be heard in reply. Foggy just grinned, making his way towards where the sound had originated.

"Boo." He jested when he finally found his roommate, although he knew for a fact said roommate had been aware of his presence before he got close enough to scare him.

"Seriously, have you _no_ humility?" Matt asked, exasperated.

"Nope." Foggy replied with a shake of his head, popping the 'p' sound with a grin. "How else was I supposed to find you in this crowd?"

"I don't know, maybe the way normal people do it. By looking. I mean, I realize it may sound _difficult_ -"

"You can't do it." Foggy interrupted nonchalantly.

Matt turned in his direction with a disbelieving look on his face before smacking Foggy in the leg with his cane, accurate as fricking ever.

"Ow!" Foggy shouted accusingly, however he didn't need to see the slight grin overtaking Matt's features to know that his friend wasn't offended. They were far enough along in their relationship that Foggy knew what he could say without worrying about hurting Matt's feelings.

"Oh I barely hit you, ya big baby."

"Barely hit me? I'll be _lucky_ if that doesn't bruise!"

"Come on, you have to tell me what food looks like it won't kill me."

"You should probably think twice about injuring your official food surveyor. What happens if I decide to exact my revenge on you by giving you inedible food?"

Matt didn't seem all that concerned, much to Foggy's chagrin. "Need I remind you that if I die, you will lose your lunch-mate? And then what? You'll either have to eat alone or," Matt interjected an exaggerated gasp, "socialize!"

"Oh no, anything but that!" Foggy cried dramatically.

"So no poisoning me."

"Fine, no poisoning you. But who's to say I can't get back at you in some other way?"

"Mr. Nelson, please, feel free to try."

"Mr. Murdock, I welcome the challenge."


	11. A Fish Named Odo

**A/N: This takes place about ¾ of the way through their second year on college. I also have a couple chapters written now, so I'll update periodically over the next few days! Stay tuned and enjoy!**

Matt had been out studying in the library on campus. He enjoyed spending time in his room with his roommate but sometimes he just needed to get out. And it didn't have anything to do with said roommate, as he'd had to reassure numerous times.

Sometimes Matt's brain just got too easily sidetracked in a place he knew too well. Obviously, the same room he'd spent most of the year in fell under that qualification. So he'd take off to the library, or find a quiet nook in the student center to spend the rest of his afternoon studying or reading, just to relax.

When he'd left that particular afternoon, the room had been empty and _so_ abnormally quiet. Usually he was used to the steady backdrop of Foggy talking, or clicking away at his computer, when he was gone it was almost eerily silent.

Foggy had mentioned something about needing to do some shopping and had taken off a little earlier in the day, so Matt was expecting Foggy to be back already by the time he arrived to the room.

What he wasn't expecting, however, was the noise of a soft motor and water flowing emanating from the corner by Foggy's bed. The man in question was sitting quietly on his bed, tapping away at his keyboard.

His silence alone would have been a clue, had the noise of whatever was over in the corner not been so apparent. "Foggy what's that?"

"What's what?" Foggy asked innocently, and it made Matt's head turn slightly. If Foggy wasn't telling him what it was there was a chance things could potentially end badly.

"I am blind Foggy, not deaf. Did you honestly think I wouldn't notice the little noise-maker over in the corner? What is it?"

"Heh." Foggy laughed sheepishly, then answered quietly, "It's a fish tank."

"Wait, what? We have a fish now?"

"Well, everything was on sale at the store and I was afraid that if I waited and talked to you about it he'd be gone."

"He?" Matt sighed in defeat, if Foggy had given the fish a pronoun, there was absolutely not chance of returning it. "What's his name?"

"Matt." Foggy grinned devilishly.

"No seriously, what's his name." Matt replied without humor.

"Yeah I figured you wouldn't go for that. His name is Odo!"

Matt's eyebrows crinkled, he was certain he'd heard the name before, he just had to remember where from. "Deep Space Nine?"

"I'm impressed." And Foggy sounded it.

"Please," Matt scoffed, "Star Trek? I've seen all of it. Used to be really into as a kid actually, I liked the idea of other worlds and space travel. It was so cool!"

"No kidding! You can't beat the Original Series but I really enjoyed all the other ones as well!"

"So what does Odo look like?" Matt asked, dropping his backpack and plopping onto the corner of Foggy's bed.

"A fish?" Foggy chuckled at Matt's deflated expression. "I mean, he's kinda small. About this big." Foggy grasped Matt's hand then placed two fingers on his palm about the correct length for the little fish he had in the tank.

Matt nodded, "Okay. What else?"

"Well he's got really long fins, that are kind of aqua. Blueish." Foggy amended at Matt's slightly confused look.

"Ah." Matt nodded.

"And his body is white, and he's got these two little, I guess I don't really know what they're called. They look kind of like antenna but are underneath him. Anyway, those are a reddish color, and the very tips of his tale are the same red. And he's got the cutest little black eyeballs!"

"I gotta say Mr. Nelson, I never pictured you for the fish type."

"Me neither, but then I saw him. I'm telling you Matt, we have a connection."

"Well, as long as he likes me I guess."

Foggy smiled hesitantly, "So you're honestly okay with him?"

"Yeah I suppose, the noise is gonna take a little getting used to but I'm sure I can filter it out into white noise eventually."

"Yes! Ya hear that Odo, you can stay! That's also really good cause I'm not sure if the store gives refunds."

Matt just scoffed in disbelief, walking back over to his bed and flopping down on it in content. Odo, it'd be kind of nice to have another someone to talk to.


	12. In Which They get Banned from a Bar

**A/N: The title of this chapter was originally going to be 'In Which Matt and Foggy get Banned from a Bar' but that didn't fit. Also, this chapter is for** **eve imyg, who wanted to see something with Matt and Foggy and an attractive woman because of the line ''if there's a stunning woman with questionable character in the room, Matt Murdock is going to find her, and Foggy Nelson is going to suffer'' in the tv show. So here it is, I hope it satisfies the request! Enjoy!**

Matt could always tell when an attractive girl was around. It was an unfair fact of life that Foggy had just come to accept. It was like he had a radar for it. Sometimes before Foggy could even order their drinks he was off flirting with some beauty. Foggy honestly didn't understand it.

Of course the girls always ate him up, blind wounded duckling that he was.

Foggy generally didn't get jealous. He was usually too mystified by Matt's ability to _find_ the women to get jealous.

Sometimes though, Matt's 'ability' really sucked. Because he may have had a spot-on radar for beautiful women, but that radar in no way whatsoever detected if said women were single. He'd had to diffuse many-a situation before it resorted to violence. Sometimes however, no matter Foggy's best efforts, violence ensued anyway.

It was a typical Friday evening at Vince's Corner Bar. It was no five-star establishment, but it was cheap and close to campus so a lot of college students chose it as their designated area to hang out.

Matt and Foggy had barely settled in on two bar stools before Matt was chatting it up with a stunning redhead sitting next to him. Foggy simply rolled his eyes, ordering a drink for his friend as well as himself.

If anyone looked at the pair it would've been obvious they were simply flirting. It was apparent that the girl wasn't actually interested, although she was most likely flattered by the attention. Matt could pick up on the subtleties of conversation better than anyone Foggy knew, and he was certainly not going at it the same way he did with other women. The two were just playing, skirting around each other in a dance of sorts, and that should have been apparent to anyone.

Anyone not inebriated that is.

"Hey bozo." A voice called over Matt's shoulder, heavy with intoxication. "Can't you see this lady isn't alone?"

"Actually no, I can't." Matt replied smartly. Foggy loved that razor whit, but sometimes he was too much of a smartass for his own good.

"Are you makin' fun o' me?" The man demanded.

Foggy just watched on in interest, it was always fun to see Matt talk his way out of situations like this. And he was ready to jump in should he be needed.

"Brad, he's blind. It was a _joke_." The girl defended, obviously annoyed by her boyfriend's behavior. "We should just go." She said this more apologetically to Matt than her boyfriend.

"Oh no, I ain't leaving till I teach this bozo a lesson. He insulted your honor, humiliated me."

"Listen," Matt began, facing the boyfriend with a charismatic smile. "Brad is it? I was simply having a pleasant conversation with your lovely date here. I meant no harm by it."

"Like hell you didn't!" Brad shouted, shoving Matt's shoulders roughly.

"Hey!" Foggy yelled, standing defensively, at the same moment the redhead hissed, "Jesus Brad he's blind!"

"I don't care if he's the church choir boy, he humiliated me." Brad said, shoving Matt again, this time knocking him to the floor.

"The only one humiliating you is yourself!" The girl screamed, attempting to hold Brad back.

The larger man easily shoved her aside, stepping towards Matt, who had just clambered to his feet. Foggy quickly stepped between the two, "That's enough."

"My quarrel ain't with you man, get outta my way."

"Not gonna happen. Listen, we don't want any trouble so I'm just gonna take my friend and leave." Foggy began diplomatically.

"I warned you man." Brad growled, before he wound up his arm and connected his fist solidly with Foggy's nose.

"Ah, God!" Foggy cried, cupping his face as blood began to spill out.

"Brad!" The girl screeched.

"Hey!" Matt shouted, grabbing his cane and brandishing it as a weapon.

"Enough!" A deep male voice broke through the tension and the whole bar fell silent. "I don't tolerate violence in my bar. You three, get outta here, I don't ever wanna see your faces again."

For a moment no one did anything, just stood frozen, feet rooted to the floor.

"Did I stutter?" Vince demanded menacingly, and that got everybody moving. Vince was a big guy and none of them wanted to be on his bad side. Well, _more_ on his bad side.

"Matt come on." Foggy pleaded through his cupped hands.

"Brad leave, now." The redhead demanded, venom in her voice.

Matt swiped a handful of napkins off the counter before gripping Foggy's elbow and expertly navigating them through the crowd and outside. Matt could feel the gazes following him right up until he left the building.

He dragged Foggy a few blocks away before stopping and pressing the napkins to his hand. "Here." He said softly.

Foggy gratefully took the napkins and pressed them to his nose, willing the bleeding to stop. "Are you okay?"

"Asks the bleeding man." Matt sighed back.

"Yeah, I suppose we're both a little worse for wear. You don't think my nose is gonna heal funny do you? I really don't want a crooked nose."

"Your nose isn't broken Foggy."

"Really?" Foggy asked hopefully. "How do you know?"

Matt sighed, "There was no crack. When Brad punched you your nose didn't crack."

"Well that's a relief! Seriously, I would _not_ look good with a crooked nose."

Foggy was trying to lighten the mood but his attempts at humor just made Matt cringe. "Listen Foggy, I'm sorry. It's my fault what happened in there."

"Matt, the only one at fault here is that Brad guy, he totally overreacted."

"Maybe so, but I still feel bad."

"Matt, buddy, I _chose_ to get in the way. You're my best friend, and best friends have each other's backs." Foggy went to clap Matt on the shoulder but thought better of it when he saw the blood glistening all over it. "Speaking of that, were you seriously about to hit that guy with your cane?"

Matt chuckled slightly, "Yeah I think I was."

"What were you thinking man?" Foggy replied with a smile.

"I was thinking that guy just punched my best friend." Matt replied truthfully.

Foggy sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly and a fond expression overtaking his features. He attempted to cheer up the mood once again, "Dude, I've got blood on my shirt. Do you know how epic I feel right now? Like every tough guy in any movie ever, I'm totally there."

And from Matt's genuine laugh Foggy could call it was a job well done.


	13. Anaphylaxis

**A/N: I honestly have no idea where this idea came from, I don't know, perhaps I wasn't getting enough whump from this fic. That's about all I have to say on the matter, oh, also it's going to be in two parts cause it was way too fricking long! I hope you enjoy!**

It was cold, it was late, and neither of them wanted to cook.

Foggy sat slumped against the almost three person sofa the pair owned for the rare occasion they had company.

Matt was sitting at the dining room table, letting the sounds of Foggy's fish tank lull him into a dream-like state. He could picture the fish, well, he could picture _a_ fish. He'd seen fish at an aquarium once when he was younger but he was guessing none of the species he could remember were the type Foggy owned. So he could picture _a_ fish swimming around merrily in the warm water, completely content with its simple life.

"Hey, we should order take-out." Foggy called, tone tired and deadpan.

"Where from?" Matt responded in the same tone.

"I don't know. Does that new Indian place deliver?"

"Why don't you call them and find out?"

"Why don't _you_ call them?" Foggy shot back immediately.

"Because I've never had Indian food before. So I'd ask if they deliver, they'd say yes then ask me what I want and I'd have no idea what to order." Matt responded logically.

"Well you, my friend, are in for a treat. Indian food is delicious." Foggy said as he hauled himself off the couch. There was a moment of silence and some shuffling before, "Hey Matt, where's the phone?"

"How should I know? Where'd you see it last?"

"I can't remember, where'd you?"

Matt just sighed, rubbing his fingers against his temple in small circles. Matt couldn't even count the number of times Foggy had said something akin to his statement in the three years they had been living together. "This is why they come with holders Foggy, so people can actually find them. What happens if there's an emergency situation and I'm left fumbling around trying to find the phone because _you_ didn't put it away?"

"Matt, when are you ever without me? Seriously, neither of us has a social life so no one will ever be left fumbling-"

"And how exactly would you describe what it is you are doing now?"

Foggy opened his mouth to retort but paused when he really considered things. "Shut up." He grumbled instead.

Matt simply laughed in response.

"Ah ha!" Foggy cried in victory. "Found it."

"And where was it?"

"Nowhere."

"Under your pile of dirty laundry?"

"Absolutely not."

It took Foggy another moment to find the small flyer they'd been given with the restaurant's name and phone number on it, then Matt could hear him talking to a man on the other line. "Yeah hi, I was wondering if you deliver." A pause. "Oh you do? Fantastic!" Foggy then proceeded to order their meal.

Matt wasn't too concerned, he trusted Foggy's judgement. Well, he trusted Foggy's judgement when it came to food.

"1287 North Hampton Drive." Matt heard Foggy rattle off their address, glad that he no longer needed to remind him of what it was. "Yeah, apartment 307. Alright thanks. Bye." With a beep Foggy hung up the phone, making a show of putting the device back in its holder.

He had no way of knowing then how thankful he was going to be when he could find the phone easily later that evening.

"Food's gonna be here in about fifteen or so minutes."

"Fantastic." Matt grinned.

"Seriously man, you are in for such a treat. Your first taste of Indian food is always memorable."

"Oh yeah, what was yours?"

"June 6th 1999."

"A date and everything, that's impressive."

"Believe me, that day will forever be etched in my memory." Foggy's tone suggested he was not kidding.

Matt leaned forward slightly, excited for what was bound to be a good story. "I was eleven years old. Young, naive, innocent. My mom had come home from work with take-out boxes. 'Frankie' she says-"

"Frankie?" Matt interrupted with a snigger.

"Yes, _Frankie_. That was the unfortunate nickname I was known by until I started high school. It was very humiliating and I'm convinced that it left me with psychological scarring. Permanent issues."

"Are you sure _that's_ what caused them?"

Foggy opened his mouth to answer the question, completely serious, when he caught the sly quirk to Matt's lips. "Shut up!" He yelled in jest, smacking his friend's arm. "Anyway. 'Frankie' she says, 'I brought home some supper for us.' She opened the boxes and I got a whiff. The foreign scents smelled strange to my young nose, but I trusted my mother's judgement. She said it was supper so I assumed the food was fit for consumption. I had barely taken my first bite before my eyes began to water. I immediately knew something was wrong, my mouth felt as if it were on fire. Naturally my first assumption was that the woman had poisoned me."

"Naturally."

"My mom, however, simply laughed. 'Have some milk dear.' She said, and to my astonishment, the milk actually helped. I had finished an entire gallon by the time I was done with supper."

Matt's eyebrows raised in concern. "And you say this is a _good_ meal?"

"Oh yeah. You get used to the spiciness over time. Plus, I ordered a little more mild food so you don't have to worry your delicate little taste buds." Foggy reassured.

"Gee thanks Foggy." Matt replied sarcastically.

Foggy either didn't pick up on it, or more likely, chose to blatantly ignore it. "Your welcome!"

The pair were then interrupted by the sound of their door buzzer.

"Foods here!" Foggy chimed happily, standing and heading towards the door. He pushed the button to allow the delivery person access to the building. "Hey, do you wanna toss me my wallet?"

"Um," Matt trailed off in uncertainty.

"It's on the table, to your left."

Matt's fingers swept over the surface expertly before finding the leather object. "Now toss it?" He asked doubtfully.

"Yeah, just throw it at my voice."

"You're so loud, that shouldn't be too hard."

"Hey," Foggy began to protest but stopped as Matt raised his arm to throw his wallet.

The throw wasn't fantastic, neither of them had expected it to be. "Woah shit." Foggy cursed softly, narrowly avoiding being smacking in the face.

Matt listened with a cringe as the wallet made contact with their flimsy wooden cabinets. "Sorry." He mumbled sheepishly.

"No it's okay." Foggy was quick to amend. "I totally would've caught it had it not been going so fast. You've got a pretty mean throw man."

A knock at the door drew Foggy's attention away from the small, satisfied smile on Matt's face. "Hey, thanks dude." Foggy said to the man at the door. Money and food exchanged hands and soon the smell of a hot meal bombarded Matt's nose.

"Woah that is strong." He commented, coughing slightly at the overpowering scent.

"Is it really? Like, too strong? I guess it's not as mild as I thought, you don't have to eat it-"

"Foggy, strong is fine. I was just observing, it was a little unexpected is all."

"Okay good." Foggy said with a relieved sigh. "Cause I would have been so sad if you had backed out of this. It is a stepping stone in your life."

"If you say so."

"I do. And we both know I'm always right."

"Always is a bit of stretch."

"Fine." Foggy huffed. " _Most_ of the time, I'm right most of the time."

Matt bobbled his head in contemplation, "Eh."

Foggy paused in his task of dishing out the food. "Is that doubt I hear in your voice?"

Matt just shrugged, trying to keep his facial features innocent. "Not _doubt_ per say."

"Well how often do you think I'm right?"

"I mean, are we talking in terms of food, or just life in general?"

"There's a difference in how often I'm right when compared with food and life?"

"Oh yeah." Matt nodded. "Cause I always trust your judgement with food, you have yet to steer me wrong. Life on the other hand, well, how can I put this? You don't always make the wisest, or most well thought out decisions."

"Name one." Foggy challenged.

"Never studying." Matt fired back without hesitation.

"I study." Foggy mumbled.

"Only after I badger you to. Look, it doesn't really matter. I'm hungry and I'm excited to try this food."

"Okay." Foggy complied, immediately forgetting about feeling insulted at Matt's earlier comment. "Here you are, a plate full of spicy goodness!" He cried exaggeratedly.

"You do realize we have neighbors right?"

"And they will all be jealous of the delicious fumes excreting from under our door."

"Mmm." Matt cringed in disgust. "Seriously? Was there _no_ better way you could think to describe that?"

"Nope. Now try some of your food!"

Matt sighed, then picked up the fork he knew to be next to his plate. With careful practiced ease, Matt scooped some of the food up and into his mouth. He chewed in contemplation for a moment before nodding softly. "That's pretty good." He gasped out.

"It's still too spicy isn't it?"

"No." Matt reassured, exhaling quickly through his mouth. "Not at all." He said again, although weather he was trying to convince himself or Foggy of this fact, Foggy wasn't sure. Still, Matt determinedly took another bite of his food, chewing it and swallowing it before cringing. "Damn that's hot!"

Foggy snorted, taking a bite of his own food. He was pleasantly shocked at just how spicy the food was. "Wow, this is spicier than I thought it was going to be. Weird, I wonder what they made it with."

Matt had barely taken his fourth bite when he began to cough.

Foggy chuckled, "You really _can't_ handle spicy food, can you?"

"Guess not." Matt said between airy coughs. "Maybe something to drink would help." He stood to make his way to their small kitchen area but quickly sat back down.

"Matt?" Foggy asked, concern leaking through his tone.

"Um I'm not-" Matt swallowed thickly, his hands just starting to shake.

"Here, let me grab you a glass of milk." Fogy stood quickly. He rushed to the kitchenette and pulled out the first glass his hand came into contact with. He poured some milk swiftly and left the jug sitting out on the cupboard. When he returned it was to find Matt sitting on the floor, white knuckles grasping the chair leg behind him tightly. His eyebrows were scrunched in pain, eyes wide in terror as he desperately attempted to pull in enough oxygen.

"I can't breathe." He gasped out.

"Holy shit." Foggy dropped the glass onto the table, paying no attention as milk spilled out and across the wooden surface.

Matt jumped when a hand clutched his upper arm, having been focusing on things other than special awareness.

"Uh-" Foggy paused in shock, momentarily frozen and unsure of what he should do.

It was Matt's desperate "Foggy" that kicked his ass into gear. "Okay, okay it's gonna be okay. I'm gonna call 911, I'll be right back!"

Foggy dashed over to the counter and knocked the phone's holder to the floor in his haste to get it out. With shaking fingers he dialed the three numbers.

"911 what's your emergency?" A smooth female voice answered after the first ring.

"Um, my name's Foggy, my friend he- something's wrong, he can't breathe." Foggy rattled as he made his way back over to Matt.

"Okay, Foggy, the first thing you have to do for me is to stay calm. Understand? You can't help anyone if you aren't calm." The operator commanded, her tone gentle and reassuring.

Foggy took a deep breath, then let it out quickly. "Yeah, yeah I understand."

"That's good. What's your address Foggy?"

"1287 North Hampton Drive, right near Columbia University. Apartment 307."

"Alright, thank you. Now, has this ever happened before?"

Foggy shook his head with a terse sigh, "Not that I know of."

"Does your friend have any severe allergies, carry an EpiPen at all?"

Foggy glanced down at Matt for confirmation, "He's shaking his head no. God what do I do!"

"Listen Foggy, I know this is stressful but an ambulance is on its way. It'll be there very soon, but there's something you need to understand: if your friend stops breathing before the ambulance arrives, you will need to administer CPR, can you do that?"

"I'm not- I learned how to in health class like, three years ago, I'm not sure I can do this!"

"Foggy, I have faith in you, and I'm sure your friend does as well. Now take a deep breath, I will be here for you every step of the way. You will never be on your own here."

Foggy nodded jerkily, his hands were shaking so hard he almost dropped the phone. "Okay. Okay what do I do?"

"You need to lay your friend down, prop his head up slightly to help him breathe, and elevate his feet. If you have a blanket within reach, cover him up, make him comfortable, but do not leave his side. Once you've done that I need you to check his pulse, can you do that for me?"

"Yeah, yeah I think so." Foggy paused a moment, taking in Matt's pale sweaty face before jumping into action. He set the phone down on the floor next to him, gripping Matt gently around both shoulders.

Matt had been able to hear everything the 911 operator had said so he knew what was going on, easily complying with Foggy's silent demands for his body. Unfortunately it didn't help to alleviate the stress of the situation, and Matt was silently freaking out. He felt Foggy press two fingers to his neck, presumably to do as the operator had said and take his pulse, Matt had pretty much stopped paying attention to what was going on around him, focusing instead on his mutinying lungs.

"It's, it's really fast." Foggy relayed, unsure how to accurately measure a pulse. A squeak from the floor drew his attention back to Matt, eyes scrunched up tight, lips tinged just the slightest shade of blue. "He's gasping now, God he can't breathe!"

"I know Foggy, I know. The ambulance is almost there, try to calm your friend down, make sure he knows everything is going to be okay."

"Will it?" Foggy asked quietly, his voice soft and terrified.

The woman on the other end of the line sighed deeply, "I hope so." She said truthfully. "Listen, Foggy, I _know_ how hard this must be for you, situations like this are terrifying. But there isn't anything more that can be done until the ambulance arrives. The best thing you can do is to comfort your friend, I'm sure he's really scared too."

Foggy nodded, noticing the tears sliding down his face for the first time. Tears that mirrored Matt's. "Okay I'm- I'm gonna put you on speaker, please just- don't go anywhere okay?"

"I won't hang up until you want me to Foggy." The woman promised.

Foggy nodded to himself, pressing the speakerphone button and setting the device on the floor next to his knee. "Matt, Matt listen to me, an ambulance is on its way, it should be here any minute, okay? You're gonna be just fine."

Matt continued to gasp, his mouth parting in an unvocalized sob. It broke Foggy's heart to see.

"Foggy, try to get him to focus on you, slow his breathing."

Foggy jumped at the voice, having forgotten about the operator on the other end of the line still listening in. "Matt." Foggy whispered, sniffing. He grabbed his best friend's hand and placed it against his own chest. "Matt, relax. I'm here, I'm right here. _Feel_ my heartbeat, my breathing. Can you take a deep breath with me?"

Matt did his best to take a deep, even breath like Foggy had but his swollen throat wouldn't allow it. "Can't." He gasped out.

"That's okay, whatever you can do is fine." Foggy reassured, turning his attention back to the operator he asked, "What else should I do?"

"Just try and distract him, try to keep him from talking until the ambulance arrives."

"Hey Matt, remember that one time in chem? The prof was just setting up his experiment when it went off. Scared the pants off him and everyone else in the room. You practically jumped out of your chair." Foggy chuckled wetly. "That was a fun class. I mean, I didn't understand what was going on half the time, and it sucked that we had to take it cause, law degrees, when are we ever gonna need chemistry? Who knows, maybe it'll come in handy someday."

A knock at the door distracted Foggy from his rambling, "It's unlocked, come in!"

Immediately two EMT's burst through the door, dragging a stretcher between them. Foggy was gently nudged out of the way as the two professionals began to work, shouting out things like 'tachycardic' and 'point five cc's epinephrine'.

Before Foggy could really process what was going on Matt was being hoisted onto the stretcher and carted out of the small apartment. Foggy was left standing in shocked silence, the suddenness of it making his ears ring.

"Foggy?" A female voice called from the floor.

Foggy glanced down in confusion before he remembered the phone. He picked it up and put it up against his ear without thinking to turn the speaker off. "The ambulance is here." He said softly.

"I heard. Your friend is in good hands, I promise. You should probably go with him."

"Yeah." Foggy blinked then processed what she'd actually said. "Shit yeah! Um, thanks a ton."

"You're welcome Foggy."

With that Foggy hung up the phone and hurried out the door, jumping into the back of the ambulance just before it was ready to leave.


	14. Anaphylaxis –Diagnosis

A couple hours passed by and Foggy accomplished nothing more than wearing a nervous line into the floor of the hospital waiting room from his pacing. A few of the nurses working the counter glanced at him questioningly but otherwise didn't bother him.

Finally after what felt like an eternity, but in reality was less than three hours, a doctor came out looking for the friends or family of Matthew Murdock.

"That's me. I'm his roommate." Foggy had to stop himself from raising his hand like a dork.

"Follow me Mr.-?"

"Uh, Nelson. Foggy Nelson."

"Good evening Mr. Nelson, my name is Dr. Curiens, I am the physician attending to Mr. Murdock." The elderly man relayed, eyes gentle and voice soft.

"Yeah, how is he doc?" Foggy asked nervously.

"Tired and a little oxygen deprived but otherwise fine. He's resting now, I can take you to his room if you'd like. We do have a few more tests we have to run, and I'll have to ask you to leave the room when those happen because you are not of familial relation to the patient but otherwise you can stay as long as you'd like."

"I understand, and thanks, it means a lot."

The man led Foggy down a couple long hallways with a few twists and turns, and Foggy knew he wouldn't be able to find an exit without assistance before they finally stopped in front of a room. The lights were off, and there was no sound emitting from it save the beep of machinery Foggy could hear.

"Doc, he's gonna be okay, right?" Foggy asked, nervous trepidation halting his entrance into the room.

"He's completely out of the woods for now. Unfortunately we have yet to identify what it was that caused Mr. Murdock's severe allergic reaction. That's what the other tests are for, hopefully we'll be able to figure it out quickly."

"Okay, that's good." Foggy nodded, assuring himself.

"Go see your friend son, I have a feeling he wants you in there more than he was letting on."

Foggy smiled up at the elder gentleman, "Typical Matt. Thank you doctor."

When Foggy walked through the door he really couldn't see a thing, the heart monitor emitted a bit of light but not nearly enough to see by, and the measly moonlight streaming through the window did nothing to help. "Hey buddy." He called softly, not wanting to startle Matt if he was sleeping or not paying attention.

"Hey." Matt replied hoarsely.

"Dude, you sound terrible."

"Feel kinda terrible too."

Foggy sighed, shuffling his way to the chair he knew was sitting near the bed. He nearly fell three times before he actually found it but he didn't want to disturb the atmosphere of the room by turning on the lights. "I heard they don't know what caused it."

"Nope, not yet. They've done a couple allergy tests already, based on what I told them, but so far nothing's come up."

"Weird. And you've never had anything like that happen before?"

"No." Matt shook his head. "I mean, dust makes me sneeze and cat fur makes my eyes itch but I've never had anything that bad before."

From the way he trailed off Foggy guessed Matt was currently reliving what had happened on the floor of their kitchen earlier that night. It was hard for him not to dwell on it, and he got shivers every time he did. He couldn't imagine what Matt must have been going through.

"You okay?" He questioned softly.

"Yeah." Matt answered immediately, although the slight quiver to his voice spoke otherwise. "You?"

"Honestly, I'm still a little freaked out."

"Me too."

The room lapsed into silence, but it was a comfortable one. They were both content to just sit in one another's presence, it was enough for the moment.

Unfortunately it was soon broken by a nurse walking in and flipping the lights on. "Oh, sorry." He said upon noticing Foggy. "Didn't know anyone was in here."

"Yeah, my bad. I didn't feel like turning the lights on."

"No problem man. I do need you to leave for a moment though, I've got another set of allergy tests to run."

Matt sighed deeply and the man genuinely looked apologetic. "Hopefully this will be the last one."

"And if it's not?" Matt questioned softly.

"Then we're back to square one." The nurse replied honestly.

"I'll be right outside Matt." Foggy said, patting his friend on the knee before he left. True to his word Foggy waited right outside the door, not bothering to try and find a place to sit.

It was a few moments later when the nurse came out and glanced around. "Don't let him scratch if anything starts to itch, alright? It'll skew the results."

"What are you testing for now?" Foggy asked.

"Allergies to spices. It's about all we've got left. I'll be back in a little while to take down the results and clean up. You can go in for now."

Foggy nodded his thanks before ducking back into the room. Matt was sitting up on his bed, face screwed up in discomfort. His right arm was extended in front of him with different squares, one seemed a bit redder than the others.

"Does it hurt?" Foggy questioned as he sat down in the chair once again.

"It's more uncomfortable than anything else." Matt responded.

"So." Foggy began, but didn't really know what else to say.

"So." Matt said with a sigh. He seemed to be doing a lot of that, Foggy could only imagine he was tired.

"Damn, I know you can't see it but your arm is _really_ red!" Foggy commented suddenly, taking in the ever growing red bump in one of the squares.

"Believe me I can feel it. It itches something awful."

"No scratching!"

"Foggy, I know. Unlike some people I have self-control."

"What people? Was that pointy comment aimed at me?" Foggy sounded affronted. "Why must you always pick on me? If I didn't know any better I'd say you didn't love me."

"Good thing you know better." Matt replied with a grin.

Foggy was thankful that the nurse entered just then because he didn't have a good retort on hand.

"Okay Mr. Murdock, that should be enough time. I'll take down the results and then Dr. Curiens will be back in to talk with you."

"Alright, you don't have to make Foggy leave, I'm okay if he stays in here."

"That's fine for now, but he'll have to leave when the doctor comes in."

Matt simply nodded, extending his arm in the direction of the nurse's voice. The young man jotted down some information, his face not giving Foggy any hints if what he saw was good or not. Then the man swabbed Matt's arm with some wet cloth and Matt's whole body seemed to relax. "Much better, believe me I know. I just had an allergy test not that long ago. They're hell."

"You bet they are. Whatever you just used works like magic though."

The nurse chuckled, "That it does. Dr. Curiens will be in in just a moment."

"Thank you." Matt said as the man left. "I really hope they figured it out this time."

Foggy nodded with a soft sigh, "Me too."

True to the nurse's words Dr. Curiens walked back into the room not too long after the nurse had left. "Alright Mr. Murdock, I've got some information for you."

"Foggy? Don't be afraid to go get some food or something, I realize I kinda ruined supper."

"I wouldn't say ruined." Foggy tried to reassure.

"I keeled over before we'd barely even started eating, I'd say that qualifies as pretty ruined. Go, I'll fill you in when you get back."

As if to back up Matt's point Foggy's stomach released a loud growl, making the man in question blush. "Alright, I'll head down to the cafeteria. Be back in a bit." Foggy said with a warm smile in Matt's direction.

"Oh, Mr. Nelson," the doctor called to his retreating form. "I'd stay away from the tuna if I were you, it can be a bit questionable this late."

"Thanks doc, I will be sure to do that!"

Once Foggy was out of the room Matt leaned forward slightly, "So? What am I allergic to?"

"Well according to the allergy test Mr. Murdock, you are reacting to a spice called coriander. It's a fairly rare allergy, and usually doesn't cause this severe of a reaction."

"Lucky me I guess." Matt mumbled tiredly, leaning back onto his pillows.

The doctor chuckled softly before continuing. "Obviously you should try to avoid the spice whenever possible. It is used in a lot of Indian recipes, so no more of that. I will be giving you an epinephrine injection to keep on your person at all times in case of emergencies though."

"Can I get two of those actually?" Matt asked tentatively. "My roommate will want one, this whole thing kinda freaked him out."

"Of course."

"Thank you doctor. When can I get outta here?"

"Mr. Murdock, you experienced a severe allergic reaction in which your throat swelled almost completely closed. You need to stay at least the night for oxygen and observation, and I would recommend staying tomorrow afternoon as well, although if no complications arise this evening I cannot force you to stay."

Matt's whole demeanor changed, his shoulders slumping and kind smile fading. "Alright. Can Foggy come back now?" He asked quietly, almost childishly.

"Of course Mr. Murdock. I'll send him right in." Dr. Curiens smiled gently although he knew his patient couldn't see it. It made him feel just a little better about the whole scenario. When the elderly man exited the room he wasn't surprised to find Murdock's friend standing just outside the door, having not actually gone to get food. Matt had seemed to have been aware of his presence as well.

"All done?" The boy asked almost eagerly.

"All done." Dr. Curiens replied with a tired sigh. "He's asking for you. I did tell him he'd have to spend the night; he seemed pretty upset by that fact."

"Yeah, he's got a thing with hospitals. I'll stay with him, we'll be fine."

"Of that I'm sure. You both seem like incredibly strong individuals. Don't let anything come between your friendship Mr. Nelson, it seems like a pretty amazing one."

Foggy beamed, "That it is doctor."

"A nurse will be in to check on Mr. Murdock periodically throughout the night, have a pleasant rest of your evening."

"You as well, thanks for everything."

"No problem at all son."

With one more smile and a wave Foggy turned and walked back into the room. "So? What's the news?"

Matt just shrugged, a frown set firmly in place.

"Come on, don't you dare make me guess. I really don't know that many spices!" Foggy whined.

"It's called coriander, it's-" Matt paused a moment, unsure if he should continue or not. He knew what he was going to say would make Foggy feel bad, and he really hated it when Foggy felt bad. "It's a common ingredient used in Indian recipes."

Foggy simply nodded, "Yeah I kinda figured the Indian food was to blame. Listen, I'm sorry man-"

"No, Foggy stop. It's not your fault."

"It was _my_ idea to order it!" Foggy protested.

"And I was completely on board. I wanted to try it," Matt paused a moment then smacked his friend lightly on the leg, "Hey, you said my first taste would be memorable, I don't think I could ever forget this!"

Foggy snickered, barely holding back a snort of disbelief. "I suppose. _And_ I got to call 911, I've never done that before."

"See, new life experiences for both of us! Now shut up and let me sleep."

"You're grumpy when you're in the hospital."

"Dude, I've been poked and prodded for the better part of three hours. I'm tired and I wanna sleep. You should _really_ go get some food."

"Maybe later, I'm gonna catch some z's too."

Matt smiled, he was happy Foggy would be staying in the room with him, even if he refused to make Foggy aware of that fact. Content to let the warmth emanating from his friend lull him to sleep.

And Foggy, reassured by the gentle beep of Matt's heart monitor, was content to doze off as well, overall quite pleased with the way the day had ended.

 **A/N: Nothing like ending with a load of fluff. I hope you all enjoyed this, but I am in no way a doctor, and everything I found about allergic reactions and anaphylaxis was found off different websites, so hopefully my information is accurate! I'm toying with the idea of writing one more little follow up chapter to this, I really like the idea of Foggy going and finding the 911 operator and thanking her, let me know if that's something you'd be interested in reading! But as far as actual chapters go, I don't have anything else typed up. I have three different Christmas chapters I still have to do, another one involving Foggy's cousins, and one involving a dog. Let me know what you'd be interested in reading next and I'll get to work on it ASAP! Until next time, pleasant thoughts and experiences all around!**

 **~Spring**


	15. Anaphylaxis –Gratitude

If someone had asked Foggy just a day prior where it was 911 operators actually worked, he would've thought about it for a moment then realized that he really didn't know.

He felt like he'd seen the set-up in a movie somewhere but he didn't know for sure. So he'd done a little research, found an address, and set out under the guise of buying some groceries, which, wasn't a total lie. Their milk _had_ gone bad after spending the better part of twenty-four hours sitting out on the counter.

Needless to say, Foggy hadn't really been thinking of their perishables when he'd dashed out the door after the EMT's attempting to save his roommate's life.

They'd left the hospital a little over a day after Matt had been admitted. They probably would have left sooner if Matt hadn't slept so long, but Foggy hadn't minded. If fact, he'd almost been tempted to conspire with hospital staff to make the entire check-out process take longer.

Almost.

So they'd returned home to a bit of a mess that Foggy had no intention of cleaning up until he'd gotten at least eight hours of sleep in an actual bed. But when Foggy finally got to rest his head against his soft cloud of a pillow, he found himself unable to drift off. Incapable of slipping off to a dreamless slumber because of one thought.

And that one thought had to do with the 911 operator he'd spoken to.

Yes the lady had just been doing her job, but the fact still remained that Matt, his _best friend_ , was still alive because of her. How did he even begin to convey his gratitude?

Well, he figured a simple thank you was a good place to start, hence the address and groceries guise. Foggy couldn't really explain why he felt he shouldn't tell Matt, but he couldn't so he didn't, and soon enough he found himself standing before a large room, computers and phones set up at different terminals.

The place was a mountain of activity, everyone was doing something. Like a bee hive, everyone seemed to know where to go and what to do and Foggy was standing awkwardly watching it all.

"Can I help you dear?" A kind voice asked suddenly, making Foggy jump.

"Uh, my name's Foggy." He answered dumbly, turning to face the dark skinned woman who had addressed him.

She flashed a pearly white smile as she chuckled slightly. "Hello Foggy, my name's Marissa."

Marissa was an elderly woman with a kind disposition and a bright fashion sense if her purple blouse and matching shoes were anything to go by. "Can I help you with anything dear?"

"Uh-" Foggy stuttered "This might sound a little strange, but I was hoping to talk to the same operator I spoke with the other night. I just wanted to thank her, is that weird?" Foggy questioned nervously.

"Oh, a little unusual maybe, but not weird at all." Marissa responded with a wave of her hand. "We don't usually get people sayin' thank you. Some of the younger girls have had people ask them out before, believe it or not, but we don't see a whole lot of thank yous."

"Oh." Foggy mumbled, blushing.

"Do you know who you spoke with?"

"No, sorry. She didn't say her name."

"That's okay." Marissa smiled, "When did you call?"

"Early Thursday evening, probably around 6:30, I don't know the exact time."

"Oh that's okay, the exact time wouldn't help too much anyway. He Frank!" She called suddenly, startling Foggy and grabbing the attention of a man in his mid-thirties working at a computer terminal a few spots away from Marissa's own area.

"Yeah Missa?" He asked.

"Do you know who was working Thursday night? Took a phone call from this young gentleman."

"Yeah, cause seeing the caller's face will really help." Frank scoffed, pausing a moment to think. "I know a handful of workers for that night, male or female?"

"Female. It was around supper time."

Frank paused again, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "Well, it could have been Kim."

"Gravelly sounding voice?" Marissa turned to Foggy.

Foggy blinked, momentarily dumbfounded by how rapidly the two were conversing. He wondered briefly if this was how outsider's felt when observing a conversation between Matt and himself before he remembered he had to answer the question directed at him. "Not really, she sounded pretty gentle I guess? She helped walk me through anaphylaxis if that helps."

"Oh, the kid who's friend couldn't breathe." Frank nodded suddenly, pointing a finger in recognition.

Foggy just smiled awkwardly, "Yeah that was me."

"You were talking to Seri, follow me." Frank stood and shuffled further into the large room.

Marissa smiled at him and moved her hands in a shuffling motion, as if silently telling Foggy to 'scoot'.

"Hey Seri." Frank called, loudly enough to get her attention but quietly enough that he didn't interrupted any phone calls in progress.

The woman sitting in the swivel chair at the desk held up her pointer finger in the universal 'one minute' gesture. "Yes sir, you just keep the pressure on there until the ambulance arrives." She said into her headset, and Foggy immediately recognized her voice. "Yes I know there's a lot of blood but you are doing such a good job. The ambulance will be there shortly."

Frank leaned against the side of Seri's desk and glanced at Foggy with a raised eyebrow and a small quirk to his lips.

"Yep I hear the sirens, okay, okay bye." With a sigh Seri hung up from the call and turned to face Frank, her full auburn hair flowing across her shoulders.

"You have another admirer." Frank said with a smirk.

"Oh get out of here you flirt!" Seri cried, but glanced at Foggy anyway, fixing him with the most intense pair of green eyes he'd ever seen. "My name's Serenity, what can I do for you?" She asked with a smile, swatting at Frank as he made a heart with his hands.

"Um, I uh, called the other night. My name's Foggy, you helped me out."

Recognition lit behind her green eyes, "Foggy oh yeah, you called about your friend. What are you doing _here_?"

"Well I just- Matt's alive and _breathing_ today, and that's thanks to you. And I really just wanted to tell you thank you, for saving his life."

Serenity smiled softly, her eyes twinkling. "That's so sweet of you Foggy, but _you_ saved his life. I just told you how to do it."

Foggy shrugged with a deep sigh, "Either way, he's alive today, and I can't thank you enough for that."

Serenity's smile stayed in place, and she reached out a hand to touch Foggy's arm gently. "I'm glad everything worked out Foggy, truly I am."

Foggy nodded, his chest filling with warmth and a feeling of ease beginning to settle into the pit of his stomach. "Me too. Thanks again, have a nice day."

"Thank you, you as well!" Serenity beamed, then waved goodbye and turned back to her computer.

As Foggy left the building with a wave to Frank and Marissa, it was with a slightly lighter step than when he'd entered. He couldn't really explain why he felt so much better now that he'd said thank you, but he did. He was so happy he almost bypassed the store completely, and wouldn't _that_ have been a fun story to try and explain to Matt.

 **A/N: Hello all, so there were a few people who said they wouldn't mind reading a follow-up, so there it was. I honestly don't know where 911 operators work… I hope Serenity didn't seem too flirty, she really wasn't meant to be. She's just one of those super, genuinely friendly people. I feel like everybody knows one of those and everybody else is like "how are you always so friendly?!" But anyway, that's not really the point.**

 **So update on this fic overall, I went through all my ideas and made a list –oh yes a list- of all the chapter ideas I have left. There are 11 including this one. I also numbered them in the order of which I am going to write them. Seeing as how there was some interest in the dog chapter I am going to type that and post it next, and we'll go from there! So yeah, unless anyone has any other ideas I'm out for now after the next 10. Then again that could change at any time so I guess we'll just have to see where the future takes us. Until next time,**

 **~Spring.**


	16. That One Time They Adopted a Dog

Matt was walking home late from a study session in the library. It was officially spring, but the remnants of winter's chilled grasp refused to leave, making the night air cold as the wind swept around him. To make matters worse it was raining, leaving Matt a very slopping cold mess.

Needless to say he was walking fairly fast, eager to get home and out of the cold. He wasn't paying much more attention to his surroundings than was strictly necessary, his cane barely swiping over the surface in front of him.

He'd just passed by an abandoned alley when he heard it. The noise was quiet, almost inaudible; if anyone other than himself had been walking by, they probably wouldn't have heard it.

Matt paused and cocked his head to the side, waiting to see if he'd hear the noise again. Rain continued to patter around him, soaking his shoes and sliding down his back but he paid it no mind. He was just about to give up on his endeavor when suddenly he heard it again, a soft whine.

Matt tracked the noise in his mind, following it to a shivering bundle of fur cowering behind a dumpster. Bending down until his knees became soaked Matt held out his hand in a placating gesture. A smile broke across the width of his face when he was rewarded with the cold touch of a curious nose.

For a minute or two Matt remained perfectly still, allowing the little puppy to get used to him and realize he wasn't a threat. When he felt the warmth of the animal's tongue against his hand he knew he'd won it over.

The puppy didn't protest when Matt ran his hand over its head, then quickly scooped it up into his arms. He wrapped the poor thing inside his jacket and pressed it close to his chest. The lick of gratitude he received on his jaw was enough of a reward to justify the soaking and his shirt.

With new vigor Matt began trekking back to his apartment once again, unsure of how exactly Foggy was going to react upon seeing their unsuspected guest.

When Matt finally reached the apartment complex both he and the poor dog were shivering and absolutely soaked through to the bone. Matt dug out his key with one hand whilst balancing the dog in the other, expertly perching his cane against his inner thigh. It was only because of practiced ease that he was able to get the door open using only one hand.

Three flights of steps weren't all that difficult and using the elevator was generally frowned upon when going up such a small distance. Some days Matt put up with it and took the stairs, on the days he didn't however, people took one look at his cane and didn't comment.

That evening happened to be an elevator evening, there was no way Matt was taking the stairs while carrying a dog, it would most likely end badly for everyone involved.

When the elevator announced its arrival on the third floor with a high pitched _'ding'_ Matt shuffled out quickly, taking an immediate left. Their apartment was all the way down on the end, and Matt, knowing the door would be unlocked, practically barreled his way through.

"Hey buddy." Foggy called from the couch, Matt could hear voices on the television as well but he didn't stop to chat. He was a mess, the dog was a mess, and while he knew their apartment wasn't the epitome of cleanliness he did not want to inflict the wrath of a dirty dog upon it.

"Well hello to you too Foggy." Foggy grumbled in jest. "How was your day? Oh not too bad, how was yours?"

"Can you grab me some towels and wash cloths?" Matt called, ignoring his roommate altogether.

"What for?" Foggy questioned, standing to perform the task before receiving an answer.

"Well I am soaked and freezing, and I assume this little guy is a mess." Matt replied, placing the little mutt on the floor of their bathroom. The pitiful thing didn't even move, just curled into a vibrating heap against Matt's leg.

"What is that?" Foggy demanded as he reached the bathroom, towels in hand.

"You're telling me you've never seen this type of animal before?" Matt responded, shaking his hair out.

Foggy huffed out a sigh, "Obviously I know w _hat_ it is, I was more wondering what it was doing here."

Matt just shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, you're the one always telling me I should get a dog."

"Yeah, when I said dog, this was not at all what I meant." Foggy replied, glancing down at the animal and crinkling his nose. "It's super dirty."

" _He_ was left abandoned in an alley." Matt explained as he began to shed his outer layer of clothing.

"Poor guy." Foggy hummed, looking down at the puppy sadly. "Seriously though, he's disgustingly dirty."

"That's why he's jumping in the shower with me."

Foggy paused a moment in surprise, Matt just laughed. "What, did you think I was going to let him track mud all over the place?"

"No I guess not, I don't really know what I thought. So uh, you shower and I'll make some food cause I'm guessing you didn't eat supper."

Matt smiled sheepishly. "Do we have any soup?"

"I'll look. You know we don't have any dog food, right?"

Matt nodded, "We can get some tomorrow, we can just give him healthy snacks for tonight."

Foggy sighed, handing off the towels to Matt. "I'll see what we have."

Matt smiled again before shutting the door. The puppy hadn't moved an inch and it broke Matt's heart how scared the poor guy was. "You are not gonna like this." He told the animal, shedding his remaining clothes and tossing them in a pile in the corner.

When Matt moved away the puppy seemed unsure, like it wanted to follow but didn't know for certain if it should. The rush of water from the bathtub faucet completely changed his mind and he scurried over to the door where he curled up and whimpered pitifully.

"I know buddy," Matt cooed softly, walked back over to the door. "I promise this is gonna feel good, get you all nice and warm." The puppy released a long whine when Matt picked him up but didn't try to run or get away.

Matt quickly jumped under the spray of water, sighing at how warm it was. He set the puppy on the floor of the tub and rung his hands through the puppy's fur, not really sure if he was making much of a difference at all.

The dog was small, standing no taller than mid-calf. He had fairly large paws from what Matt could tell though, so those would take some growing into. He also had short, floppy ears, and a long snout. His fur was short, but it was beginning to feel smoother the more Matt washed it.

The puppy quickly warmed up to the idea of the bath, splashing around in the water that had culminated in the bottom of the tub, long tail wagging happily. Matt chuckled and played along, shoving the dog around gently.

When he felt they were both sufficiently warmed up and –hopefully- clean, Matt turned the water off and hopped out. He quickly toweled himself off then went back for the whimpering dog.

After quickly patting the dog dry, and wrestling the towel out of his mouth more than once, Matt tucked the slightly damp animal under his arm with a towel still wrapped around him. "Coming out!" Matt called in warning as he opened the bathroom door.

"My eyes are averted!" Foggy yelled in response from the kitchen.

Matt shuffled his way quickly to his bedroom, slipping on more comfortable clothes he saved for relaxing nights. The puppy stayed curled up in the towel, rolling around and biting at it playfully.

When Matt finally picked the little guy up and made his way to the kitchen, there was a steaming bowl of soup sitting out on the table. "Thanks Foggy." Matt grinned, setting the dog gently on the ground where he immediately began to roll around again.

"No problem, so why do you think he was abandoned?" Foggy asked as he took a seat next to Matt at the table, watching the dog with interest.

"I don't know." Matt shrugged, "He seems to behave well enough, for a puppy anyway. Sorry I just sort of threw this at you."

"No it's okay, what were you supposed to do, leave him? No way."

"So what's he look like?" Matt questioned as he stirred his soup around a little.

"I figured you would've gotten a pretty good idea after your intimate shower together." Foggy said smartly.

"Well yeah, but I meant what does he _look_ like? Color and stuff."

Foggy paused a moment to actually look at the puppy rolling around on their kitchen floor. "He's a lightish brown color, with lighter tan patches on his face. The tips of his paws are white though, well, the back right is brown but the others are white. And he's got kinda floppy ears the same brown color. He's got chocolatey eyes. God he is adorable!"

Matt laughed softly, listening as Foggy picked the dog up off the floor and plopped him onto the table. The puppy immediately shuffled over to him and nuzzled his head against Matt's hand, but he didn't try to eat the food. "Hi buddy."

"He really likes you."

"Yeah well, I carried him against my chest and then got naked with him."

"That just sounds awkward."

"It's what happened!" Matt defended, completely forgetting about his bowl of soup as he began to hand-wrestle with the puppy, making little growling noises in response to the yips the dog emitted.

"Oh good god, please tell me you're not one of those people who talks to their animals." Foggy cringed.

"Why wouldn't you talk to them if they can hear you?" Matt questioned offhandedly.

"Uh, because they can't _understand_ you?"

"Oh I think they can, a little at least. So do you like him?"

"Do I like him as in do I want to keep him?"

"Isn't that the same question?" Matt grinned.

Foggy shrugged, reaching out a hand to pet the puppy, "If we keep him we have to name him."

"You have any ideas?"

Foggy paused for a moment and just observed the puppy, thinking deeply. Suddenly and with little warning the puppy let out as ferocious a bark as it could muster and dashed away from Matt, tail up and wagging as it discovered a new game to play. "What about Flash?"

"As in the super hero?"

"Yeah."

Matt shrugged, figuring the name was as good as any, "Okay, ya here that buddy, we're gonna call you Flash."

As if to show his support Flash barked again, hopping around the table happily. Unfortunately the little guy wasn't really paying attention to what he was doing and tumbled off the table. He landed on the floor and shook his head in confusion before a tremendous yawn broke free with a small squeak.

"Looks like the little guys tired." Foggy commented with a laugh.

"How about we watch a movie." Matt suggested, standing and scooping Flash into his arms as he made his way to their couch.

Foggy obliged immediately, grabbing the remote and flipping the TV on before settling in next to Matt.

The three curled up on the couch, Foggy leaning comfortably against the far arm rest, Matt angled slightly so he could rest his feet off the ground as well, and Flash curled up between the two. It didn't take long for all three of them to drift off, warm and comfortable.

 **A/N: Yay, the dog chapter! I seriously think the writing is lacking in this chapter but I hope you liked it, I will most likely bring Flash back, but basically my plan for him is that he will end up at Foggy's mom's place. In my mind I was picturing a chocolate lab mix by the way! Was his name too metta? Like, DC super hero in a fanfic about a Marvel super hero? I kinda thought it was funny, because of** _ **course**_ **Foggy is a fan of comics!**

 **Okay guys, I need your help! I hinted at the end of an earlier chapter to the possibility of a prank war, well I want that prank war to happen but I don't really have any good ideas for pranks. If you have any ideas you can think of it would be greatly appreciated! Until next time,**

 **~Spring**


	17. Contraband Candels

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm alive! Sorry it's been so stupidly long since I've updated, life just took a turn towards the busy train and it would NOT let me off! But as an apology I will be posting two chapters today! So, yay! So this takes place their sophomore year, I hope the added characters don't seem too stereotypical... That's about all, please enjoy!**

 _December 23_ _rd_

"Oh shit." Foggy's surprised tone drew Matt's attention.

"What?" He asked, stretching and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. 8 a.m.'s could be a bitch, especially 8 a.m. exams, and they often required a nap to be taken later in the day.

The room was silent for a moment before a heavy, dismayed sigh from across the room drove Matt's eyebrows together. "What?" He asked again, this time slightly more confused.

"I was about to say look out the window." Foggy replied warily.

Matt scoffed incredulously, "You serious?"

"Yeah." Foggy groaned.

"Well, if I was capable of seeing, and I happened to glance out the window, what might I observe?"

"Snow." Foggy replied simply.

"Well yes Foggy, it is winter, snow is a common occurrence."

"Like a shit-load of it you smart-ass!" Foggy yelled with a smile. "There's a mountain out there."

"How much is a mountain?"

"It's already probably a third of the way up the front doors and it's still coming down."

Matt paused, trying to remember if he'd heard anything about a snowstorm within the past week but he was coming up blank.

Apparently Foggy was as well, "Did you hear about a storm?"

"Not that I recall, no."

"Huh." Foggy paused a moment, "Dude, what if this doesn't let up before Christmas?"

Matt was about to assure Foggy that there was no way the snow would continue until Christmas when he really considered things. It was the twenty-third, because Matt and Foggy had been unfortunate enough to have a final at 8 a.m. that morning. So even if the snow _did_ stop before Christmas, with how much had already piled up, it was unlikely they would be going anywhere anytime soon.

"We're gonna be stuck here, aren't we?" Foggy questioned sadly.

Matt just nodded, "Hate to say it, but most likely."

Foggy flopped onto his bed with an almighty groan. "Dammit, and here I was looking forward to a home-cooked meal."

"Foggy, we're not going to be snowed in for _all_ of winter break." Matt stated with a chuckle. "You'll get a home-cooked meal."

"Yeah, but not Christmas dinner! I'll be lucky to get any leftovers!"

"Ask your mom to postpone Christmas dinner." Matt replied.

"Yeah right, like she'd do that for me." Foggy scoffed, then his whole demeanor changed as an idea came to him. "Dude, she would totally do that for you!"

"Oh no, don't you bring me into this!"

But Foggy wasn't listening. He raced over to his desk and quickly snatched up his phone, dialing his mom's number. "She has to know we won't be in tonight anyway." Foggy said in response to Matt's disbelieving expression.

Matt sighed heavily in exasperation, curling back up under his blanket to continue his nap.

"Hey mom, how's it going?" Foggy greeted, far too chipper. "No I don't need money." Foggy paused, "Mom! No I am not in jail!"

Matt snickered at that, listening to the one-ended conversation fondly.

"Well okay, _yes_ I'm in a bit of a predicament, but it is not, in any way, my fault! We're snowed in, so we won't make it home tonight." Another pause. "Yeah, we're not sure when we'll be able to get home."

"I think we'll be able to handle ourselves," Foggy replied to his mother's worries. "But speaking of food, Matt was wondering if you'd consider postponing Christmas dinner for him. He's super crushed that he's gonna miss it."

Matt sighed heavily and shook his head in exasperation.

"Oh, you wanna talk to him? Okay, here he is. Matt, phone." Foggy held out the device, tapping Matt's searching hand gently.

"Hello?" He said as he brought the phone to his ear.

"Hey honey, how are you?" Rosalind's kind voice flittered from the other end, warm and smooth like milk.

"Good aside from being snowed in."

"Yeah that's what I heard. I also heard that you were 'super crushed' you wouldn't be getting to enjoy my Christmas dinner."

"Oh yeah, _super_ crushed." Matt replied sarcastically, smiling when he heard Foggy's sigh of dismay from across the room.

"Let me guess, Franklin?"

"Yep."

"And he just used you to pull at my heartstrings?"

"Correct again."

"That boy." Rosalind laughed.

"He's a piece of work." Matt responded, ignoring Foggy's indignant huff. "Anyway, I should let you get going."

"Alright sweetie, you boys stay warm and let Foggy know I'll cook him something special when you finally get home. Or don't, make him squirm for a little bit."

"You got it, thanks Mrs. Nelson."

"Rosalind." She reminded.

"Have a nice day." Matt responded, waiting to hear her goodbye before hanging up the phone.

"So?" Foggy asked eagerly.

"Dude she was totally onto you."

Foggy sighed heavily in dismay. "Dammit, I thought I played that so perfectly too!"

"Foggy, you couldn't have been more obvious if you'd used a flashing neon sign."

"Damn."

Matt chuckled slightly before curling up and snuggling deeply under his covers, fully intending to take the nap that seemingly continued to get interrupted.

When Matt finally awoke it was to the surprising absence of the buzz from their florescent lights. Listening carefully to make sure his roommate wasn't sleeping, he sat up and asked, "Why are you sitting in the dark?"

Foggy glanced across the room in surprise, not having heard Matt rise. "Shit man, don't do that! And how do you know that I'm sitting in the dark?"

"Oh," Matt paused a moment as he thought of an explanation that wasn't too burdened with unnecessary details, "The lights make a sort of buzzing, it's hard to describe and fairly easy to ignore, but when they're on it's always in the background."

"Huh." Foggy nodded in genuine interest. "That sounds annoying, and I _wouldn't_ be sitting in the dark, except the power went out about an hour ago. There was an announcement before it happened actually, I'm surprised you didn't wake up."

Matt nodded, surprised as well; it was rare for him to sleep through a disturbance of any kind, especially one as loud as a building announcement. "What did it say?"

"Oh just that there's a severe winter storm and we are advised not to leave the building, nothing special. I assume they're attempting to get the power back on, generators must be on the fritz or something."

"Huh, so what's the plan until then?"

"I don't know, I'm trying to save the battery on my laptop. We could play Charades."

"Oh yeah, how about we pull out Pictionary while we're at it?" Matt shot back.

Foggy laughed as he stood and crossed the room to his desk, swiftly opening the top drawer and pulling out an immaculately wrapped box. "Here, I was saving this for Christmas, but might as well open it now."

"For me? You shouldn't have." Matt replied jokingly, taking the package and feeling it curiously.

"Hey, no cheating! Just open it."

Matt sighed in dismay, "You suck the joy out of everything. Fine." Matt quickly unwrapped the present and opened the small cardboard box, pulling out two smaller squares. "Cards?" He asked, before running his sensitive fingers over the boxes, instantly noting the presence of braille on both packages. Uno and a deck of playing cards, in braille. Matt smiled gently as he ran his fingers over the lettering in disbelief, he couldn't believe Foggy had bought him cards for Christmas.

"Do you like them?" Foggy asked in nervous trepidation.

"Foggy, I don't know what to say."

"Generally 'thank you' is the immediate response. Unless of course you don't like them, then possibly, 'what the hell is this' or-"

"Foggy I love them, thank you."

"Oh." Foggy paused a moment in surprise before he sighed heavily in relief. "Good. I was worried you might not like them, or want them. Anyway, I give them to you now so that we can maybe use them now, seeing as how we're stuck without electricity."

"Sounds like a plan." Matt replied with a grin, eagerly opening the brand new packages and pulling out the regular deck of playing cards.

 _December 24_ _th_

Matt and Foggy were lounging lazily on their beds. Foggy had finally caved and turned his computer on, having been able to charge it when the power came back on briefly. Unfortunately it was out again.

Matt listened to the 'click click' of Foggy's keyboard with the occasional insertion of a "shit". Foggy had never been very good at Mine Sweeper.

A knock on their door drew both their attention. "It's open!" Foggy called, quickly followed by an annoyed, "God dammit!"

The door swung open to reveal Jake, a fellow dorm-mate who lived just down the hall. "Hey guys!" Jake greeted with a smile.

"Hey Jake, what's up?" Foggy asked as he put his laptop aside.

"The rest of us left on the floor are converging in the lounge for survival. Safety in numbers and all."

"Safety from what?" Matt questioned.

Jake just shrugged, "No idea, but Ronnie's got candles and everybody's pooling their non-perishable food to make a Christmas Eve dinner. You guys wanna join in?"

Foggy glanced to Matt, if his roommate didn't want to go then he wouldn't go either. But when Foggy saw the smile on Matt's face he knew they were going.

"Sounds fun."

"Sweet! I'll see ya guys down there!"

"Sure thing." Foggy responded with a nod as Jake turned to leave. "So, survival party."

"It sounds like it'll be a good time. Do we have any food to bring?"

"Uh," Foggy glanced over to their mostly empty make-shift cupboard. "Not much. Some cereal, marshmallows, open bag of chips."

"Wonderful."

The lounge was lit with the warm light of Ronnie's candles and a small stockpile of food had already been stashed in one corner by the time Matt and Foggy walked in.

"So, what have we got to eat?" Madelyn, a girl who lived on the opposite side of the hall from Matt and Foggy questioned as the last of the food was added to the pile.

"Let's see, pop-tarts, two bags of chips, bag of marshmallows, brownies, beef jerky, cereal, granola bars. We've also got a half box of soda and a brand new case of beer." Jake listed matter-of-factly.

"The feast of kings." Kyle joked.

"And queens." Amanda interjected, making everyone snigger at the dejected look on Kyle's face.

As Foggy glanced around the room he couldn't help but smile at the hodge-podge of characters that had gathered for the make-shift holiday dinner.

It was a fairly small crowd, eight people including himself and Matt: Jake, Ronnie, Madelyn, Amanda, Kyle and Ella. Foggy could only assume they'd all had a final the last day before break, when the blizzard had started. It was a group of people that, under normal circumstances, would probably never have sustained a lasting conversation, not to mention share a meal together.

Jake was a tall guy with short, blonde hair and intense green eyes. He was the friend to everyone, the guy anyone could get along with and was probably the only reason everyone had agreed to share dinner in the lounge. It was rare to find his door closed and he always had a smile on his face.

Then there was Ronnie. He was a scrawny, stick of a guy with scruffy black hair and dark brown eyes covered by glasses. He'd seemed like an innocent enough guy, not really doing much outside his room. Sometime before midterms it had been leaked that he was a pretty major pot smoker. Foggy had been just as surprised as most of the others, but Matt had just shrugged, completely unphased, wondering how no one else had smelt it on him.

Amanda and Ella were actually roommates, but they were basically polar opposites. They lived just down the hall from him and Matt, and Foggy never heard anything about a conflict so he could only assume they got along just fine.

Amanda was a tall, muscular girl whose dirty blonde hair was almost always pulled out of her face. Captain of the girls' soccer team, she spent a lot of her time on the field or in the gym.

Ella on the other hand, was a petit redhead, barely five feet tall. She was a theatre major but aside from on stage she didn't do a whole lot of talking. She seemed like a sweet girl though, and when she did speak with someone there was a genuineness there that couldn't be faked.

Kyle was a super stereotypical English major. He wore large, horn-rimmed glasses and wasn't usually without a sweater vest and tie, his orange hair slicked back with product. He was probably the biggest nerd Foggy had ever met, but not in a bad way. Conversations with Kyle were never boring, and he could always be seen reading some classic novel.

And last there was Madelyn. She was basically the female equivalent of Jake, social butterfly, she'd joined more clubs than Foggy cared to count and seemed to genuinely enjoy spending time with others and really getting to know them. Her dark-skinned face was always lit with a brilliant smile and her uncontrollable hair was generally tamed with some fashionable clip or up-do.

"Merry Christmas everyone." Ella smiled, trying to get the attention away from a blushing Kyle.

"Merry Christmas!" Everyone chorused.

"So, are we waiting for an invitation?" Ronnie demanded, "Let's eat!"

"We should split things up evenly first, and any extras can be up for grabs." Madelyn suggested.

"Good idea!" Jake chimed with a grin. "One item for everyone from every stack, and then whatever's left we can fight over!"

"Matt, if it comes down to it, I _will_ use your cane to beat the rest of these people." Foggy warned.

"You go for it. I will be sitting safely on the sidelines, laughing at your cries of pain."

The rest of the room snickered but Foggy gasped, stricken. "You wouldn't come to my rescue?"

"Foggy, what help could I possibly be?" Matt shot back, being completely serious.

"I don't know! A distraction so I can flee?"

"Dude," Ronnie commented, "you'd leave your friend to fend for himself?"

Amanda nodded her agreement, "Harsh."

"I mean, throwing someone else to the sharks _is_ a better chance at survival for yourself."

"Thank you Kyle." Foggy said with a nod in the English-major's direction.

"Okay everyone, strategical sacrifices aside," Jake called everyone back to the task at hand. "Pairs of two, you'll each get one pack of pop-tarts to split."

Jake made quick and easy work of the food distribution and soon enough everyone was happily chowing down on their make-shift meal.

The evening progressed and the food was munched on, but even when their meager rations had all but disappeared, everyone remained in the lounge. The entire case of beer was gone, and a bottle of wine had been retrieved by Ella from her room and was about three-quarters of the way gone. Needless to say, everyone was more than a little tipsy.

"Guys, we should play a game!" Madelyn suggested seriously, her eyes wide.

"What game?" Amanda questioned, obviously willing to get on board with the idea.

The room fell silent as everyone began to contemplate the question at hand.

"Why not charades?" Ronnie finally suggested.

Foggy snorted loudly and Matt exhibited an enormous amount of self-control to keep himself from laughing.

"No, wait guys, we can't." Ella called softly, thinking very carefully before talking, the wine most certainly affecting her along with everyone else. "We have to play a game Matt can play too!"

All the heads in the room swiveled in Matt and Foggy's direction, with everyone so thoroughly inebriated, Matt couldn't resist. "No, you guys go ahead, I'll watch."

"Okay!" Ronnie, Madelyn, and Kyle chorused. Ella seemed confused, knowing something was off about the statement but not understanding what that was. Amanda seemed to still be contemplating games to play and Jake was nodding softly, having stopped actually paying attention to the conversation long ago.

Foggy, amazingly, didn't fall for it, instead just snickering at the other's reactions. "We really should play a game you can enjoy too." His roommate whispered as the group began their first round of charades.

"Who says I can't enjoy this?" Matt demanded with a lop-sided grin. "A group of drunk college kids playing charades? This is going to be spectacular."

So as the sun began to rise on Christmas day, snow continuing to pile up in front of doors, a group of eight college students played a game of charades, cheering and celebrating loudly every time the correct answer was guessed. And when the blind boy amongst them managed to guess the right answer long before anyone else had a clue, well, the screams of excitement could probably be heard all across the deserted campus.

 **A/N: Thanks to goldacharmed for pointing out a small error. It's all fixed now! :D**


	18. Bonding through All-Nighters

The air was crisp but a comfortable temperature, fresh with the promise of spring and new life. Spring break was right around the corner, but that also brought mid-terms, the bane of any college students' existence.

Still, Friday nights were reserved for tomfoolery and bad decisions, like staying out all night and waiting for the sun to rise.

Matt couldn't remember whose idea it had originally been, just that one of them had suggested they don't go back to the dorm and the other hadn't disagreed.

They'd eventually plopped their tired butts down on a wet, grassy hill just outside campus, sitting quietly and enjoying the peace that accompanied the precipice of dawn.

"Hey." Foggy's tentative voice drew Matt's attention, the slight nervous flutter of Foggy's heart causing Matt's body to tense. "Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

Matt's heart plummeted; that never boded well, but he didn't want to lie to Foggy, at least, not when it could be helped. "Go ahead." Matt responded, bracing himself for the worst.

Foggy took a moment to collect his thoughts before quickly uttering his question. "What do you miss most from when you could see?"

Matt's brain reeled for a moment. He'd been expecting questions about his childhood, about his dad and the night- not something as simple as what he _missed_ seeing. Matt couldn't help it, he laughed softly, drawing a confused look from his roommate. "I don't really have an answer." He responded truthfully. "I don't hate the fact that I became blind, it's who I am ya know? But because I was only nine when it happened, I don't know, I guess I just didn't appreciate sight enough, or maybe it's the whole: 'you don't know what you have till it's gone'. Either way, I guess I'd say I miss the sky the most, sunrise, the deep purple clouds of a bad storm." Matt sighed longingly as he tried to recall the last sunrise he'd seen. It wasn't as if he'd had a way of knowing that he wouldn't ever get another chance, but he still wished he had just taken a _moment_ to truly take it in.

"So what's the best part about being blind? Aside from easily picking up babes that is." Foggy said jokingly, causing a smile to light up Matt's face.

"Well _aside_ from that, I- it's hard to explain. I experience the world in a way so completely different than most people. Maybe it helps that I had nine years to see the world, but for me, sounds and smells blend together to make a picture of sorts. Like water-color is being painted in my mind, it's sort of fluid; it fluctuates." Matt paused, noticing for the first time the intense way Foggy was staring at him, and realized that he probably sounded absolutely insane. So with a quick shrug he brushed his thoughts away and easily deflected, "Anyway, it doesn't really matter."

"No." Foggy interrupted immediately. "I think it's cool. The way you see the world, if you'll pardon my phrasing, Matt, it's amazing."

Matt's heart swelled with joy, a genuinely, purely joy-filled smile capturing his face. "Thanks Foggy."

"You are welcome Matt."

The hill lapsed into silence and the sun continued to rise but the two friends showed no signs of leaving.

"Hey Foggy," Matt finally called softly. "Do you mind if I ask _you_ a personal question?"

Foggy released a long suffering sigh but Matt could detect the telltale signs of shifting skin he'd come to recognize as Foggy's amused smile. "I suppose it _is_ you turn."

"Listen, if you don't want to answer, it's fine, I just-"

"Matt, I trust you, there's nothing you can say that'll offend me and if I'm too uncomfortable for whatever reason, I'll let you know. I'm not gonna lie to you."

And damn if that statement didn't stab him through the heart. "Why isn't your dad in the picture?"

Foggy sighed heavily, and Matt could practically hear his demeanor falling. He was just about to rescind his statement when Foggy responded. "I never really knew him, at least, I don't remember knowing him. My mom told me he walked out on us when I was five, but he'd stopped being a father long before that."

"Oh man, I'm sorry." Matt said honestly. His father had been the most important person to him as a child, how someone who was supposed to always be there for their children could just walk away was a mystery.

"It's okay." Foggy shrugged. "My mom and I got along just fine. It was just us against the world, it hasn't always been easy but we always make it work."

The hill was once again encompassed in silence, comfortable, peace-filled silence.

Matt exhaled slowly and allowed his head to fall against Foggy's shoulder. "I'm glad we're roomies." He said gently, careful not to break the delicate peace that had fallen over the hill.

Foggy's gaze darted to the lump of hair resting on his shoulder, heart fluttering in a happily, content sort of way. "Me too." He whispered in reply.

 **A/N: Yay more bonding. Hopefully this explained some things about Foggy's familial situation. So the next chapter I'll be working on is Wingman, it was a request but I can't say for sure when I'll be able to post it, the busy train is once again boarding and I have a one-way ticket. To eternity. Until next time!**

 **~Spring**


	19. Wingman

**A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated! Life has gotten super crazy so I really can't guarantee how often I'll be able to update this, but just know that as long as there are lovely readers out there who are enjoying this I will continue it!**

 **I'm gonna get real for a minute here; I just wanna take a moment to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or followed this story. I try to send a personal thank you to all my reviewers, but I know I can't always do that. So if you are a guest reader, or I have somehow missed you, or even if I have sent you a PM: thank you. You guys keep me going, even when I'm tired and lazy and stressed. Even when the last thing I wanna do is sit down and type, I think of all of you and it keeps me going. :D So thank you, I appreciate the support, and reviews never fail to brighten my day!**

 **Phew! That was deep. Anywho, this chapter was a request, and as such I'd like to dedicate it** _ **goldacharmed**_ **. Thanks for the idea, I hope this satisfies!**

 **As always, ideas are welcome, now sorry for this long-ass author's note, onto the part you guys actually came for!**

He honestly hadn't known. It was pure coincidence, although if that made things better or worse, Matt wasn't sure.

The night had started off almost like any other Friday, except instead of going out with Foggy, Matt had adventured out on his own, because Foggy had a date.

Matt didn't really have much of a plan for the evening; relax, enjoy a few drinks, flirt a little. When he'd entered a small bar a few good blocks away from campus he didn't even think about Foggy and his date. He'd simply sat down at the bar with a heavy sigh and ordered a slightly heavier drink than usual.

"Rough week?" A soft, feminine voice asked conversationally.

"You could say that." Matt replied with a small, tired grin. He could tell the girl was attractive, long hair and fair features. Matt could tell without really trying that she was a college student, they were probably in the same grade. "Two tests and a presentation. But enough about me, what about your week?"

"Well," the girl began, spinning on her stood to fully face him. "I had a wonderfully easy week, which, believe me, is a most needed reprieve."

"Why so busy?"

"Double major. I should've listened to my mother and majored in music."

Matt was just about to inquire as to what her two majors were when a familiar voice called his name. "Matt?"

Matt couldn't help but cringe, knowing without even asking that the vacant seat on the girls' right belonged to his roommate. "Hey Foggy."

"Oh, you two know each other?" The girl questioned hesitantly, sounding slightly embarrassed.

"We're actually roommates." Foggy supplied, taking the empty seat.

"Really? Wow, what a small world huh?"

"Yep."

"The tinniest." Matt added before the three lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. "Well, I should actually be going." Matt said suddenly, standing and preparing to leave.

"Do you have to?" The girl questioned, moving as if to stand as well.

"Yeah, I've actually got an event tomorrow. Foggy knows the one."

"Oh-uh-yeah. The early thing." Foggy added clumsily.

Matt sighed, mentally face-palming. Foggy was _such_ a bad liar. They'd maybe have to work on that sometime. "I'll see you later Foggy." Matt said with a smile before quickly making his retreat, barely having touched his drink.

"So." Foggy said awkwardly.

"So, that guy's your roommate?"

 _~Daredevil~_

The door opened earlier than Matt had expected and the shuffling of his roommate's feet burst into focus.

"Hey." Foggy called dejectedly.

Matt cringed, the date had ended worse than he'd thought. "Hey, how was-?"

"Oh, she wanted to know your name, and major, and what it's like to live with a blind guy."

"Foggy I'm sorry, I honestly didn't know-"

"How could you?" Foggy cut him off, pausing to kick off his shoes and discard his coat on the floor, then he flopped onto his bed with a sigh. "Anyway, it doesn't really matter."

He was lying, Matt didn't need his enhanced senses to tell him that. "It does though, doesn't it?"

Foggy remained silent for a moment, biting his lip. "You already _know_ it does, in that way you always just know stuff."

Matt closed his eyes with a heavy sigh but didn't say anything, waiting to let Foggy vent.

"I mean, I know it's not your fault, and I absolutely don't blame you, but man, that was my first date in months! It's _hard_ to pick up girls, I mean, for the rest of the men in the world who aren't carved from marble and built like gods."

"I don't know anyone who meets that description Foggy." Matt stated seriously.

"Matt, come on! You are one of the most attractive men I have ever laid eyes on, and I mean that in the straightest way possible!"

"Foggy seriously-"

"Don't even try to deny it Matt, you're a sexy beast and you know it!"

Matt couldn't help the surprised laugh that escaped his throat before an idea came to him. "Hey, what if I _actually_ acted as your wingman?"

"Wait, for real?"

"Well, it _was_ your idea." Matt stated, referring to the conversation they'd had freshman year.

"I had been almost, mostly 100% joking when I said that."

"Then I'm talking to the miniscule percentage of you that had been kind of, semi-serious."

"You're actually going to be my wingman?" Foggy questioned, heart fluttering excitedly.

"Of course. I owe you."

"Dude, this is totally going to be epic!"

From then on the two made a tradition of sorts. Not every time, but sometimes when they went out and an attractive girl would come up to matt and ask about basically anything, he'd surreptitiously guide her to Foggy.

The script was the same for just about any topic. The girl would say something along the lines of: "are you into _blank_ " and Matt would very smoothly reply, "you know, I can't say that I am, but you know who is? My roommate, Foggy." And then he'd leave the two alone.

It worked surprisingly well nine times out of then, and Foggy had been right, it was epic.


	20. Migraines

**A/N: Oh man has it been forever! Sorry about that, school kind of kicked my butt right at the end there. But summer is upon us so I should *hopefully* have a lot more time to write! As always, I appreciate all the reviews and support everyone's given me and I am still open to requests if you have any ideas! Enjoy!**

Matt awoke to an annoying throb at the base of his skull. Headaches weren't all that uncommon of an occurrence, especially because of all the stress that came with college.

Unfortunately however, headaches had the awful tendency to turn into migraines. Now headaches were something Matt could deal with, he'd grit his teeth and ignore the pain, but migraines became debilitating. Medication wouldn't help, and any noise or movement sent his world on fire into a tailspin.

He hadn't experienced a migraine for years, but when the throbbing in his skull began to slither its way along the sides of his head until it wrapped its pointy tentacles and grasped his temples tightly, he knew exactly where it was heading. And it was heading downhill fast.

So Matt quietly excused himself from his early afternoon class and stumbled his way back to his dorm. He probably made quite the spectacle, stumbling down the street like a drunken man, barely one o'clock on a Tuesday afternoon.

When Matt made it back to his room he unceremoniously dumped his things on the floor, kicking off his shoes before falling into bed and curling up into a tight ball, cradling his head between his arms and willing the world to quiet down.

"Hey Matt!" Foggy called happily as he entered the dorm, letting the door swing shut behind him. He dropped his backpack in front of his closet before glancing in the direction of his roommate and cursing himself quietly.

Matt groaned softly and shifted his position ever-so-slightly, making Foggy grimace. "Sorry I woke you up." He apologized.

"Wasn't sleeping." Matt practically whimpered, meek tone immediately drawing Foggy's attention.

"Matt, what's wrong?"

"Got a migraine."

"Oh." Foggy paused and blinked. He'd never been very good dealing with medical situations. He remembered one time when he was younger and Tristen had fallen off her bike. Her elbow had gone right through the shed window. There had been blood everywhere, and Tristen had ended up needing stitches, but when it had first happened Foggy hadn't had the faintest idea what to do.

' _Pain meds, those will help, right?'_ Foggy thought uncertainly. He crossed over to his desk and tried to search through one of the drawers as quietly as possible. Advil, that was supposed to help with headaches.

"Hey Matt, do you need water to swallow pills?"

"No-" Matt groaned, whining into his pillow.

Foggy crossed the room quickly and dumped a handful of pills into his hand. "Here, these should help." Foggy whispered, thrusting his hand near the pillow.

Matt tried to push the pills away but it was too late. "Trash!" He gasped, face paling.

Foggy was confused for a moment, but fortunately caught on to what was happening just in the nick of time. He shoved their small trashed can against the side of Matt's bed and grimaced as his roommate upheaved the contents of his stomach.

"Are you sure it's just a migraine?" Foggy questioned in concern, shuffling from foot-to-foot.

"Yeah." Matt gasped, spitting into the trash can. "The scent of pain medicine does that sometimes."

"Seriously? Jeez Matt, I'm sorry. I didn't even know pain medicine _had_ a scent!"

Matt chuckled softly, falling back onto his pillows exhaustedly. "Wouldn't expect you to."

"So, if pain meds make you sick, what do you do?"

"Ride it out, hope that it goes away quickly."

"Man that really sucks, is there anything I can do?"

Matt remained silent for a moment, eyes scrunched in pain as his brain was skewered by invisible spears.

Foggy stood by, watching helplessly as his friend suffered. He felt awful, he just wished he could help.

"Can you-" Matt began but broke off with a soft groan, breathing evenly through his mouth for a moment. "Turn the lights off? Normally the buzzing isn't too bad but-"

"I got you." Foggy interrupted. It was obvious speaking took a great deal of effort and it wasn't as if Matt needed to explain himself to _him_. If having the lights off would help then Foggy would sit in the dark for a while, end of story.

"Try to get some sleep." Foggy whispered, "I'll be here if you need anything."

"I know." Matt mumbled in response, curling his body into a tight ball and covering his head with a blanket.

Foggy couldn't stop the amused smile that captured his lips as he sat down on his bed. He figured he'd take a nap as well, he wasn't sure how loud his laptop was but he didn't want to risk bothering Matt with the noise.

The two didn't really talk about what happened after that. Later that evening Foggy had awoken to find Matt reading quietly on his bed, looking far better than he had earlier, but neither of them explicitly brought the incident up.

If Foggy suddenly paid slightly closer attention to the little winces Matt tried to hide well, he never said anything. And if Matt noticed the new-found attention he didn't let on, nor ask for it to stop.


	21. Football is Better with Family

**Alright, I hope you guys feel spoiled, two updates in one day. I also just had both of these written for the longest time and just wasn't able to type them. This chapter is dedicated to DarkMousyRulezAll (wonderful name by the way!) who suggested that Matt and Foggy do more college-like things, like go to a football game. So here you guys are, hope you enjoy! **

Crowds were not one of Foggy's favorite things. They were loud, rambunctious, and messy. And _yes_ , that may have been an accurate description of his family but that was completely different.

At the moment, he and Matt were at a football game. It was early season so people weren't too crazy yet, but it was still ridiculous. Foggy couldn't understand why people got so worked up over a game. Contrary to popular belief, the respect of the entire campus did not rely on winning.

Obviously he didn't really care all that much, sure he didn't _mind_ watching an occasional game but he also knew there were other things that he could be accomplishing with the time he was spending in the stadium.

Foggy glanced in Matt's direction. His roommate was the only reason he was there. Matt hadn't explicitly said he wanted to go to a game, but he hadn't said no when Foggy brought it up.

Matt didn't look super happy though. He didn't appear to be having a _bad time_ per se, but he wasn't having a great time either.

"Hey, what's up? I thought you wanted to be here." Foggy shouted in Matt's direction, the volume it took for him to be able to hear his own voice made his throat sore.

"I mean, I don't mind being here." Matt responded immediately.

Foggy's eyebrows crinkled in confusion, "Wait, aren't you at all interested in the game?"

Matt simply shrugged, "I don't really care all that much, I thought you wanted to go."

"I thought _you_ wanted to go!" Foggy shot back, then fully processed what Matt had said. "Wait, so you never actually wanted to go to the game?"

Matt fixed Foggy with the most incredulous look a blind man was capable of. "Why would I want to go to the game?"

"I don't know! Why would _I_ wanna go to the game?"

"I don't know." Matt shrugged.

"Then what the hell are we still here for?" Foggy demanded, standing with a huff.

Matt chuckled as well, standing and following the path Foggy cleared through the bleachers. It was crowded, which made walking difficult, especially with his cane. Plus the noise, and the _stench_. He couldn't even _see_ the field, why on earth Foggy had thought he wanted to go to the game was a mystery to him. Although, he hadn't really done anything to dispel any assumptions Foggy may have had.

"So you're not interested in the game at all?" Matt questioned out of pure curiosity once the pair had exited the stadium and could talk without shouting at one another.

"Meh." Foggy shrugged, falling into place beside Matt and immediately extending his arm, which Matt easily took. "I could really care less. I mean, I enjoy a good football game yes, but people make _such_ a big deal out of this. Come on, it's only college ball."

"You make a pretty big deal out of football with your family."

Foggy gasped dramatically, halting in his tracks. "Don't even mess with me Murdock, I know you know how big of a deal those games are."

Matt shook his head, barely able to talk through his laughter. "You go so serious there!" He gasped.

Foggy paused a moment before he began to laugh as well, "You _know_ how seriously my family takes those games!"

"Believe me, I am aware. I have almost been collateral damage too many times to count."

"I _told_ you not to stand too close!"

"That's the best vantage point!"

"Then you're gonna have to deal with the fact that my family may end up turning your bones to pudding!"

The pair lapsed into silence, Foggy's statement ringing in both their ears. All it took was one disbelieving squeak from Matt before they were both laughing uncontrollably.

"Seriously though," Foggy sighed lightly, whipping the tears from the corner of his eyes, "Can we just agree that football is better with family?"

"We most definitely can."


	22. Truth or Dare

**A/N: To those of you who have already read 'What-If' this technically comes before that, but I just decided to repost the chapters in their correct order.**

 **To those of you reading this for the first time, this is going to be a three-part story arc, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!**

"Truth."

"Scared are you Tristen?" Chris jeered.

Tristen simply shrugged, showing no shame. "Maybe I'm a little nervous, I've never played this game with Matt before, and I don't know how mean he is."

"Mean and Matt in the same sentence?" Josh questioned incredulously, causing the others to laugh.

Matt blushed slightly, "I'm honestly not really good at this game, I can never think of anything."

"Well you can always skip me!" Tristen replied chipperly.

Chris snorted, "Hah, see? You _are_ scared!"

"Okay, yes I am! And after the great Truth or Dare debacle of 2008 can you blame me?"

Matt leaned over and whispered to Chris in question, "Truth or Dare debacle?"

Chris shook her head with a grimace, "You don't even wanna know. It ended badly, like, _very_ badly."

"Alright Matt, lay it on me." Tristen said with a resigned sigh.

"Um," Matt paused in thought, "Have you ever had sex before?"

The room fell silent and all eyes swiveled to the now red-faced Tristen. "Yes." She whispered.

"You did _not_!" Mark called in disbelief.

" _Yes_ actually, I did, keep you voice down before Aunt Ros hears you!" Tristen hissed. "Anyway, that's my turn." She shifted her gaze to her still awe-struck cousin sitting next to her, "Mark, truth or dare."

"Dare." He stated immediately, showing no fear.

Tristen paused a moment in contemplation before a devious smirk overtook her features. "I am going to go make a food concoction for you out of whatever I find in the fridge, and you have to eat it."

Mark's eyes widened, his mouth gaping. "Don't make it too big?" He squeaked in a desperate plea for mercy.

Tristen just laughed devilishly before tearing off for the kitchen. She was in the other room for nearly ten minutes, shouting harsh words at anyone who dared enter or attempt to force her to hurry up. When she returned it was with a plate and an evil smirk on her face. Sitting atop the plate was a chuck of toast, meatloaf pressed into the bread, all topped with a healthy serving of whipped cream.

Mark grimaced, taking the plate from his cousin's extended hand. "All of it?"

"All of it."

To everyone's surprise and slight disgust, Mark downed the whole thing, managing to only gag once and actually keeping the demonic creation down. "Okay Josh, truth or dare?"

"Truth, no way am I eating anything gross."

Mark sighed, "You are so boring. Fine, have you ever stolen anything, what was it, and when did you steal it?"

"No fair, that's three questions in one!"

"No complaining, just answer the question."

Josh sighed heavily, crossing his arms over his chest, but begrudgingly he answered. "Two years ago, I stole a candy bar."

The room fell completely silent before Foggy's sputtering laughter broke it, causing everyone else to join in as well, except the red-faced Josh.

"You stole candy _two_ years ago!" Foggy laughed, "I mean, I know little kids try to steal stuff all the time, but two years ago!"

"Yep, embarrassing, now it's your turn."

"Oh." Foggy's smile fell, he'd forgotten that he had to go directly after Josh, and perhaps making fun of the person in charge of his immediate fate had not been such a wise decision. Still, never one to back down from a challenge, Foggy confidently replied, "Dare."

Josh paused momentarily before an idea sparked behind his eyes. "I dare you to drink a shot of hot sauce."

Foggy sighed heavily, resigned to his fate. " _Fine_."

For the second time that evening, a family member exited to the kitchen. Foggy returned with the half empty bottle of hot-sauce and a shot glass. He expertly poured himself a glass before raising it like a toast, "Here goes."

The whole room watched on in amusement, snickering loudly at Foggy's scream of agony. He quickly rushed back into the kitchen and didn't return for a solid three minutes, and when he did it was with a jug of milk clutched firmly in one hand, milk mustache staining his upper lip.

"Alright Christine, it's your turn."

Chris grimaced at the use of her full name but quickly rose to the bait. "Dare."

Foggy took another swig from the milk carton, sighing as it soothed his burning mouth. "I dare you- to snort powdered sugar like cocaine!"

Chris's eyebrows dove together and a snort of amusement escaped her throat, "Alright." She stated, disappearing into the kitchen and returning with a bag of powdered sugar. She had opened the bag and prepared to dump some onto her hand but was interrupted by Mark.

"Wait, wait, wait, if you're going to do this, it has to be done _right_." He stood and crossed the small distance between himself and Chris, snatching the bag from her hand. He cut across to an end-table and dumped out a small clump of sugar. Pulling out his pocket knife, he began to expertly "cut" the sugar into a long, thin straight line.

"You've gotta be kidding." Tristen giggled.

"What?" Matt asked, curiosity alight.

"He's making her a hit with his pocket knife." Tristen replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"How do you know how to do that Mark?" Josh questioned.

"Hey, this man has stolen candy within the last two years," Matt began, making it sound like a much bigger deal than it actually was, "there's no telling how far he's delved into the criminal underworld."

The room erupted into laughter at Mark's expense.

"Ha ha, hilarious. _Actually_ , I happen to be a fan of TV. Now, here you are Chris, enjoy."

Chris grimaced and bounced up and down nervously. "How is this my life?" She questioned breathily, before leaning forward and snuffing the single line of powdered sugar in one go. "Aw!" She gasped almost instantly, clutching her face. "That hurt so much worse than I expected!" She cried.

When the room had finally settled, Chris shuffled back to her place between Chelsey and Foggy. "Chels, your turn."

"Dare, just please don't be mean?" Chelsey questioned in a desperate plea.

Chris simply shrugged non-chalantly. "No promises. Hmmm." She paused a moment in consideration, stroking her chin slowly. "I dare you to drink a shot of straight vodka."

Chelsey's face paled, her mouth falling open in immediate protest. She was _not_ a drinker. The rest of her cousins knew that, and one was currently exploiting that fact. She would be lucky not to throw up.

Foggy, who was still standing near the kitchen door, turned and promptly left the room, presumably to get the needed materials for Chelsey's dare.

Sure enough when he returned it was with a bottle of cherry vodka and a second shot glass. "Your drink madame."

Chelsey whimpered in fear, carefully pouring her drink. With a few deep breaths, and some much needed encouragement, she tipped back the drink and downed the whole thing. She immediately gaged, and everyone in the room shouted a nervous "whoa!" but she kept it down. "That. Was. Awful!" She cried as the room erupted in a mix of laughter and applause.

It took a while for the room to finally settle down again, but when Chelsey turned to Matt, it was obvious the alcohol was having a fast reaction. "Truth or dare Matt?"


	23. What-If

**A/N: So, first off, this chapter is not happy. It mentions the murder of Matt's father, there are tears. Third, it's my own head-cannon that Foggy's mom won the lottery which was how she was able to kind of "escape" her old life and buy such a nice house. Lastly, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to** _ **eve lmyg**_ **. Thanks for the wonderful idea, sorry I took so long to actually write it! Anywho, hope you all enjoy!**

It was late on a Thursday evening over spring break and some of the older cousins, plus Foggy and Matt were engaged in a game of truth or dare. And as the case was with all things involving the family Nelson, the game was intense.

There was no backing down, no skipping, and absolutely no lying. They'd already discovered that Tristen was no longer a virgin, Mark had been forced to eat a disgusting concoction involving meatloaf, toast, and whipped cream, Josh had stolen candy and it _hadn't_ been when he was a little kid, Chelsey had nearly vomited after downing a shot of straight vodka, Foggy was forced to drink hot sauce, and Chris had snorted powdered sugar like cocaine.

It was Matt's turn and to say he was nervous would be a huge understatement. He felt it best to shy away from the dares, all of them so far had involved ingesting something the player would rather not ingest and he wasn't sure his sensitive pallet could deal with something so harsh. Then again, it wasn't as if the truths had been all that easy either. If he chose dare, his blindness was sure to be taken into account, but he would most likely receive no mercy for his delicate senses.

"Come on Matt, what's it gonna be?" Chelsey demanded eagerly, hiccupping softly. It was her turn to ask and she was more than ready for her chance to inflict her wrath upon an unsuspecting victim.

"Truth." Matt replied with a cringe.

"Okay. What iiiiis," Chelsey paused a moment in thought, "the worst thing that's ever happened to you?"

The living room was engulfed in silence as five pairs of disbelieving gazes fell on Chelsey. It took her a moment longer than it should have to realize what the problem was but when she did her hand flew to her mouth, a shocked "oh god" escaping her lips.

"Matt, I-I" she'd just begun to formulate an apology when Matt's quite but captivating voice penetrated the palpable tension in the room.

"I was nine. It was after the uh, accident."

Foggy's eyebrows dove in confusion. He'd been so sure his friend was going to talk about the day he'd lost his sight, what could be worse than that?

Matt took a moment, inhaling deeply before speaking again, his voice less steady than mere moments earlier. "My dad, he was uh- he was murdered."

A unanimous gasp resounded throughout the otherwise absolutely silent room, but no one dared interrupted Matt's story, all six pairs of wide eyes focused intently on the blind man speaking.

"He was a boxer, a pretty good one too. But uh, his boss- they were fixing the fights. My dad was given a lot of money to go down when he was told. I-I had no idea, not at first anyway, but I overheard the conversation about when he was supposed to take the fall in his fight again Creel." Matt paused a moment, breathing deeply and desperately blinking back tears, but he'd started the story, there was no turning back now. "I tried to convince him to actually fight, I quoted fricking Thurgood Marshall." Matt released a breathy laugh, shaking his head back and forth. "I don't know if I convinced him or if he convince himself but uh- He was," Matt paused, swallowing thickly, "He was the better boxer, by far, and he proved that. And he paid for it." Matt stated, voice breaking and tears beginning to fall. "And I can't help but think, what if, ya know? What if I had just kept my mouth shut? Maybe he'd still be-" Matt's sentence was cut off abruptly by a sob; he covered his face as his shoulders began to shake.

"Oh honey." The unexpected addition of Foggy's mom's voice to the conversation made everyone jump, aside for Matt who had been acutely aware of when she had slipped into the room.

Rosalind quickly crossed the expanse of her living room, falling to her knees and pulling Matt to her chest. "Shhh, honey shhh." She whispered, rubbing soothing circles on Matt's back and fighting to keep her own tears at bay. "Oh Matthew, there are so many what-if's in life hon. What if my marriage had worked out? What if I hadn't won the lottery? What if Franklin had been born a female?"

The last question elicited a surprised, albeit wet, laugh from Matt and an indignant squeak from Foggy.

"The point is, you can't dwell on any of that, it won't do anyone any good. And I can't say, _no one_ can say for sure, why bad things happen. We can only know that it was for a reason, and live with everything else."

The room lapsed into a silence that stretched on until Matt's breathing fell back to a rhythm that was closer to normal.

"You okay hon?" Rosalind asked softly.

Matt simply nodded.

"Good." Rosalind smiled, leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss on Matt's forehead.

The tender treatment caused a few more tears to squeeze their way out of Matt's eyes but he was quick to wipe them away. "Can we uh-" Matt sighed heavily, voice still a bit too shaky for his liking, "watch a spy movie?"

"Of course." Chris responded immediately.

Mark stood and shuffled to the DVD rack, searching quickly through its contents. "How's classic Bond sound?"

"Why not?" Tristen responded, trying to break the awkwardness that had formed within the room.

Josh also readily agreed, most likely eager for a distraction, but Foggy remained unusually silent.

He was staring at his friend in shock and sadness. To think that on top of everything that had already happened to his friend, his dad had been murdered. Obviously Foggy was aware that Matt was an orphan, but he'd never thought that it was due to such traumatic events. And he hadn't wanted to ask because he could tell it was a touchy subject for Matt; after the story he'd just witnessed, he understood why.

Chelsey also remained silent, even after the mood in the room had lightened considerably she refused to talk.

Matt didn't say much for the rest of the night either, but all the Nelsons' kept an especially close eye on his to ensure he was actually _'fine'_ like he kept insisting.

Overall it was not the fun, care-free experience they'd all been expecting and every one of the Nelson relatives was more than ready to let themselves become engrossed in the movie and put the whole thing behind them.

 **A/N: Alright so, kind of short. Let me know what you think! I think this is the first like, sad chapter I've written… Did it work?**

 **Until next time!**


	24. Not Superman

The sun rose, bright and cheerful, the next morning, and was almost enough to completely shatter the peaceful silence that had fallen over the living room late the previous night.

Chelsey blinked awake, eyes watering as the harsh light bled through the partially opened curtains and assaulted her unadjusted eyes.

With a soft grunt of effort, Chelsey stood and carefully made her way to the window, taking care not to step on any of her sleeping relatives.

When the blind was closed and the room once again bathed in darkness, Chelsey took a moment to survey the living area.

After their game of truth or dare had taken a swift nose-dive, they'd all curled up to watch James Bond. Most everyone had fallen asleep fairly quickly after that, but she'd found herself unable.

Chelsey had felt absolutely awful as soon as she'd realized what she'd asked, but no one had been expecting a tear-filled confession of murder.

On that topic, Chelsey glanced about the room and noticed they were down one blind kid, the blankets where he'd been curled up the previous night folded back.

' _Maybe he's just in the bathroom?'_ Chelsey reasoned, but still felt the need to go check.

As she walked towards the bathroom, she just happened to glance out the window, into the backyard, where she saw Matt sitting on the wooden swing.

Chelsey quickly diverted from her current path but hesitated at the door, she was the one who had dragged Matt's bad memories to the surface, anyone in their right mind would be upset about that. But she needed to apologize.

Decision made, Chelsey took a determined step outside, immediately shivering at the slight chill in the air. It may have been officially spring, but the nights' still got pretty cold.

"Matt?" Chelsey called, wanting to announce herself before she got too close and startled him by accident.

Matt's head immediately tilted in her direction and Chelsey couldn't help the putter of worry her heart gave when she noted his red nose and cheeks. "Jeeze Matt, how long have you been out here?"

Matt chuckled softly, "Too long probably." With a heavy sigh Matt let his head fall back, unseeing eyes gazing up at the slowly brightening sky. "Or maybe not long enough."

Chelsey paused a moment, biting her lip in uncertainty. "Mind if I sit?"

"Please."

Chelsey took the seat next to Matt, her leg almost instantly beginning to bounce with pent-up anticipation.

"Something on your mind?" Matt question after the silence had stretched on a beat too long.

"Yeah, listen Matt, about last night, I'm sorry. I spoke without thinking and it was stupid, and if you're mad at me, I get it, okay? You have-"

"Chelsey, I'm not mad at you." Matt interrupted quietly.

"Oh."

"I was actually thinking that I should thank you."

"Excuse me?"

Matt couldn't help but laugh at Chelsey's disbelieving tone, but quickly sobered. "I haven't every really- talked about what happened. I've just been living with it, trying to figure it all out on my own. But now that I've shared it, I don't know, it's an easier burden to carry. So thank you."

Chelsey sighed heavily as she desperately blinked back tears. "Matt, you freaking never cease to amaze me." She whispered, lunging forward and wrapping her arms around Matt's shoulders.

It was later in the afternoon when Foggy sought Matt out. Everyone had dispersed and were doing their own thing, waiting for the sun to set so they could start their campfire.

"Hey." Foggy called before sitting next to Matt on the front step.

"Hey."

"How's it goin?" Foggy questioned, attempting to be inconspicuous; he failed miserably.

A small grin capture Matt's lips as he shook his head in fond exasperation. "Foggy, I am fine, honestly."

"Yeah well, of course you are. You're like freaking Superman, _always_ fine."

"I'm not-"

" _Yes_ you are. At least, you always say you are, even when it's fairly obvious you're actually _not_."

Matt sighed heavily, shifting under the intense gaze he could feel Foggy directing at him. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my dad."

"No, that's not what this is about." Foggy was quick to cut off _that_ line of thinking, he and Matt were quickly becoming best friends, but everyone was entitled to their own personal demons, he couldn't be mad at Matt for not sharing his. "I totally understand why you didn't tell me. I mean, we did just meet not _that_ long ago."

"Oh." Matt paused, momentarily confused. "Then, what?"

"I just want you to know there's someone here for you. I understand that you've been pretty much depending on yourself for a while now, and you're probably not used to having anyone. But you do now. So if you're ever not fine, you know."

The steps lapsed into a slightly awkward silence before Foggy broke it with a very forced cough, "Anyway." He began, standing, but Matt's soft voice drew him back.

"You're right."

"Pardon?"

"About me depending on myself, you're right. I've been basically alone since my dad died, I haven't ever really had anyone to lean on."

"Well you do now buddy." Foggy said, smacking Matt's shoulder lightly.

"Thanks Foggy."

"Anytime mon am-igo."

"That is _so_ wrong!" Matt replied with a chuckle, shaking his head in amusement.

"Hey, we can't all be Spanish geniuses, my apologies."

"I'm hardly a genius."

"Modest and always fine, you need to make that your slogan or something. Hi, my name's Matt Murdock, I am modest and always fine." Foggy paused a moment, completely serious, before he sputtered into laughter, dragging Matt down with him.

"Thank you Foggy." Matt stated sincerely once the two of them could breathe normally.

" _Any_ time. Now let's get goin', I'm pretty sure my mom started the bonfire!"

 **A/N: Yay, everything's happy again! I hope you've all enjoyed this last installment. I'm not sure what I'll be posting next, probably some more fluff because that makes up like, 90% of this fic. Let me know if you have any requests, otherwise, until next time!**

 **~Spring**


	25. A Christmas Carol

**A/N: Hello all! I hope summer is going well for everyone! Mine has been busier than I thought but I'm still enjoying it, so I guess I can't really complain! This chapter takes place during our favorite Avocados' third year. Happy super early or super late Christmas, whichever way you'd like to look at it. As always, let me know what you thought and if you have any ideas you'd really like to see, otherwise enjoy the latest installment!**

"Iiiii'lll be hoooome for Christmaaas!"

Matt cringed before he'd barely set foot in the apartment complex, the singing only growing louder and more obnoxious as he got closer to his actual room. His roommate was the _loudest_ person he'd ever met. "I have never wished to be deaf more than at this moment." Matt said as he walked through their door.

Foggy either didn't hear him or chose to blatantly ignore him. "Hey Matt! Guess what?"

"I assume you're going to tell me."

"I am officially done with classes, and fully packed and _so_ ready to go home!"

"I'm not sure if we'll be able to," Matt couldn't resist, "what with all this snow we're getting."

"What!" Foggy demanded, whirling around to stare at the sunny sky and snow-less ground. "Dude, totally not cool!"

"I'm sorry." Matt said between laughs, choosing not to dodge the pillow that came soaring at his face, but not acting nearly as surprised as a blind man should have.

Foggy wasn't even phased. He'd seen Matt do a crazy number of things in the three years they'd been living together. "So aside from nearly giving me a heart attack, what are your plans for the afternoon?"

"Well, I've got to finish a paper and submit it before we leave, but other than that nothing, why?"

Foggy shrugged, "Just curious. I have no plans, I didn't know if you wanted to do anything."

Matt sighed, dismayed. "Ya know, I'd love to but I'm actually stupidly behind on this assignment. I haven't even finished writing it yet and I'll still have to edit it-"

"Do you want help?" Foggy questioned readily.

"No Foggy, you should go out, have some fun."

"What fun can I have without my wingman? Besides, I wouldn't feel right, going out and having a good time while my poor friend suffers alone."

Matt shook his head with a shrug, "If you're volunteering." He said as a word of warning before heading to his bedroom, dropping his bag next to the door unceremoniously. Foggy briefly wondered how Matt never tripped over any of the things he decided to just drop on the floor, but decided he really didn't need to know.

With a small nod and a smile Foggy followed Matt through the doorway. He knew how long it took Matt took finish papers, typing them up, printing them, editing them, then meticulously going through them line by line to correct his mistakes. _Then_ because Matt was a masochist – _'thorough Foggy'_ \- he'd repeat the whole process. It took literally forever and Foggy had offered up his services on more than one occasion but was usually turned down.

It spoke volumes to just how much Matt wanted to get out of there, or how very far behind he was, that he accepted Foggy's offer at all.

The night ended up being a long one, with Matt and Foggy both dozing off on multiple occasions. Matt hard-core fell asleep as Foggy was combing through the paper for errors, so Foggy just fixed the ones he found and printed the finally completed assignment off himself. When he went back into the living room, Matt had yet to stir.

"Matt." Foggy called, placing the paper on their small kitchen table. "Matt wake up."

Matt mumbled something unintelligible before attempting to readjust himself on the couch.

"Matt come on, you _know_ you hate when I don't make you sleep in your own bed."

"I's'not as comf'table." Matt grumbled. He was referring to their couch, but it was only because they'd had the conversation before that Foggy understood what he meant

"You've told me as much. Come on, up and at 'em!" Foggy called a little louder, patting Matt's leg.

With a large sigh and what appeared to be all the effort in the world, Matt shoved his body upright.

Foggy would have laughed at the unkempt flop of Matt's hair had he not been immediately distracted by the large, dark circles under his eyes, normally hidden behind his glasses. "Dude, have you been sleeping at _all_ this week?"

"Finals, no time to sleep." Matt replied, a little more intelligibly as he stretched his arms above his head and failed to hold back a mighty yawn.

"One of these days you're gonna regret pushing yourself this hard. Lack of sleep can mess with your immune system, or something like that."

Matt smiled gently, standing and shuffling his way towards his bedroom.

Foggy followed close behind, wanting to make sure Matt made it to his bed before face-planting. He did, more or less. Foggy simply shook his head in fond bemusement before heading to his own room to get some much needed sleep.

Foggy awoke late the next morning, having purposefully turned his alarm off the night before. He wasn't all that surprised to find his roommate up, dressed, and fully packed. Matt was _such_ a morning person and it both pissed Foggy off and made him jealous all at the same time.

"Hey, I just have to turn in my paper and I'll be ready to go." Matt informed before Foggy could utter a word.

"Dude, I am not even _dressed_ yet."

"I know." Matt chuckled. "I just wanted to let you know. You were so excited to leave yesterday, I figured it'd be good if we could get out of here as quickly as possible."

"Matt, you got up early to pack didn't you?" Foggy sighed, "Now I feel bad, you could've slept in, I don't care when we leave-"

"Foggy," Matt interrupted his friend's tirade with a fond smile, "I would also like to get out of here."

"Oh. Well in that case what are you still doing here? Go turn in that paper!"

It didn't take Matt terribly long to cross campus and turn in his paper, but when he returned to their apartment it was to find the dishes done and the trash taken out.

"Wow, Mr. Nelson I'm impressed."

Foggy beamed from his seat at the kitchen table but his smile soon fell. "Wait, I'm not sure if I should feel insulted or not."

"Definitely not."

"Okay good! Alright, the apartment's all taken care of. I'm ready if you are!"

"More than, let's his the road!"

With their bags tucked securely in the trunk, Matt and Foggy settled into the car; the drive wasn't very far which was nice, and soon enough they were pulling into the Nelson's driveway.

"Huh." Foggy voiced thoughtfully. "And here I figured we'd be one of the last."

"Who else is here?"

"Hardly anyone. I think that's Uncle Richie's car, and he always brings Uncle Lawrence, Aunt May and Josh, but that's it."

"Weird, I wonder what the hold-up is."

"Mom will know!" Foggy stated confidently, pulling his keys out of the ignition and popping the trunk.

Together the two friends dragged their luggage inside, plopping it next to the front door. It would have to go upstairs eventually but with the house so empty the bags weren't in the way yet.

"Mom!" Foggy shouted by way of greeting, already making a bee-line for the kitchen. Matt followed mostly out of habit, navigating the layout of the Nelson home with practiced ease. Ever since Matt had tripped over the corner of a table that usually rested in the far corner of the house, Rosalind had been careful to keep her furniture arranged in the same way so that Matt wouldn't have to worry when he visited.

"Hey honey!" Rosalind called in response to Foggy shout, sounding happily surprised. "I didn't know when to expect you."

"That's because _I_ didn't know when to expect me. This one had to finish a paper before we could leave." Foggy responded, hugging his mom mid-sentence and grimacing when he placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Matthew." Rosalind admonished in her 'disappointed mother' tone that never ceased to make Matt feel sheepish. "Too much partying and not enough studying?"

"Not enough time for either." Matt replied honestly, accepting the warm hug Rosalind gave as a standard greeting. "The end of the semester kind of snuck up on me."

Rosalind laughed deeply, her head tipping back and long hair swinging with a pleasant _swish_. "That's so unlike you, normally you're on top of this kind of thing."

"I had a lot of papers and those always take a long time to finish."

"You have an able-bodied roommate who just wastes air otherwise." Rosalind ignored her son's indignant squeak, "Put him to good use."

"Foggy was actually _most_ helpful last night."

"See, not a _complete_ waste of air!" Foggy huffed, crossing his arms over his chest in mock anger.

"I'm glad to see you're making something of yourself dear." Rosalind dead-panned, leaving Foggy sputtering. "Anyway, you boys make yourselves at home, help yourselves to snacks all that jazz."

"Sure thing!" Foggy called happily, already helping himself to a handful of candy from the jar on the table. "Oh hey mom, where is everybody?"

"Rich, Lawrence, May and Josh are in the basement getting some lights and dishware for tonight, your Aunt Stacey's car broke down so Rob and Tristen went to pick her up." Rosalind began, turning her attention back to the slowly boiling pot of pasta on her stove top. "Curtis, Chris, Jose and Mark are vacationing in Hawaii for the holiday, Marvin, Cassandra, Chelsey, and Mark just called and they're running late. Carter had to stay home because both Taylor and Melony have the flu. And Sabrina, Kyle and Sophie are spending the holiday with Sabrina's family this year."

"Wow. So it's gonna be a small crowd this year."

"Oh yes, much smaller than it's been for quite some time."

Foggy's face lit up with an excited smile. "Does that mean we can do it this year?"

Rosalind shrugged, striding back across the kitchen and picking up her bowl of partially mixed brownie batter before Foggy could get his hands on the spoon. "I don't see why not. The weather's even good today."

"Yes!"

Matt's eyebrows dove in confusion, he had definitely missed something. "Wait, do what this year?"

"Go caroling!" Foggy informed happily. "Last year the weather was obviously too bad and the year before we had way too many people, but before the family was _enormous_ it was a Nelson tradition! We'd go every year."

"Oh." Matt nodded, feigning an excited smile. "Sounds fun!"

Foggy's smile fell and his heart puttered in the way it always did when he could tell Matt was feeling uncomfortable, mixed feelings of rage and the urge to protect waring within him. "Hey, what's up?" He questioned gently.

Matt shrugged, he could feel both Foggy's and Rosalind's eyes focused on him and knew there would be no escaping. "It's just, I don't really know that many carols."

"Is that all?" Foggy laughed at the same moment Rosalind put a comforting hand on Matt's shoulder, "That's not a problem sweetie."

"Honestly, most of us don't really know the words, we just do it to have fun. I mean, half of us are tone-deaf as is."

"What songs do you know? We probably know the same ones." Rosalind questioned, trying to make Matt feel better.

"A handful of the ones from Church, but not a lot apart from that."

"Let's hear one!" Foggy said happily, snagging another handful of candy.

"Oh, um." Matt paused, momentarily flustered under the sudden pressure. "O come O come Emmanuel," Matt began softly, cheeks reddening, but as he continued the song he'd sung so often as a child his voice grew steadily stronger. "And ransom captive Israel. That mourns in lonely exile here, until the son of God appear. Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to thee O Israel." Matt paused after completing the verse, biting his lip and shuffling his feet in apprehension at the silence that followed.

"Matt," Foggy finally broke the quiet with an amazed laugh, "You're freaking amazing!"

Matt's cheeks flushed even darker and he ducked his head in an attempt to avoid the attention. "I'm not that good."

"I may be tone-deaf," Richie's voice called from the doorway, "but I know enough to recognize talent when I hear it. You got a pretty decent voice there kid."

"Did you take lessons?" May questioned.

"No." Matt responded quietly.

"Seriously? Well I know who we'll have to have in front when we go out caroling." Larry joked, but the others readily agreed.

Matt smiled softly to himself, his cheeks still burning, but a warm sensation had settled in the pit of his stomach. He'd never been caroling before, but he had a sneaking suspicion he was going to enjoy it.


	26. The Bully

"Hey, watch where you're going fatty!"

Foggy sighed with a roll of his eyes. _'Real original.'_ He didn't even know the name of the goon that had rammed into him, he'd maybe seen him in one of his larger gen-ed's but he'd never had an actual conversation with the guy. It was obvious to Foggy the guy was just showing off for his cronies and he was totally above that, don't give them what they want and they will lose interest.

"Are you serious?"

Apparently Matt didn't believe in the same philosophy.

" _You're_ the one that ran into him."

"Aw, how adorable!" The dick laughed, his buddies cooing beside him. "Gotta have your defective friend defend ya there pudgy. What? Ya can't speak for yourself?"

Foggy's eyes darkened, he didn't take issue with Doofus calling him names, but he was _not_ allowed to say something like that to Matt. "Why don't you just back off?"

"Now they're defending each other! What an adorable couple you make, Fatty and the Freak!"

"Don't call him that!" Matt and Foggy shouted simultaneously, and while Foggy was infinitely grateful for his friend's support, them speaking in unison did nothing to defend their case.

The leader of the group laughed tauntingly before pushing his way between them. One of his goons shoved Fogy the other sneering "defective" in Matt's ear as he slid past.

Foggy scoffed in disgust, shaking his head as he started toward their dorm. "Come one, they were just some stupid rich kids."

"Even if they were right?" Matt spoke, voice hushed, feet rooted to the ground.

"Hey now, are you calling me fat?" Foggy jeered, rounding on his friend with a smile that soon faded as he realized Matt was serious. "Matt, they were just some entitled jerks trying to get a rise out of us."

"That doesn't mean they were using untrue statements. I mean, it's not like all five of my senses are exactly functioning." Matt mumbled, scuffing a foot across the sidewalk.

"Hey," Foggy began gently, discarding his bag on the ground and gripping Matt by the shoulders. "You're _not_ defective, or some freak of nature."

"No, just disabled."

"Matt you are the most _abled_ disabled person I have ever seen."

Matt chuckled, swiping quickly at a wet gleam by his eye that Foggy pretended he hadn't seen. "I don't think you're fat either." He whispered.

"Oh I could stand to do a few more crunches." Foggy countered, dropping his hands and retrieving his backpack.

"But will you?"

"Absolutely not!"

Both friends laughed loudly, slinging an arm over each other's shoulder they began to amble at a slow pace back toward their dorm.

"Why weren't you going to defend yourself?" Matt questioned suddenly.

"I wasn't gonna give him what he wanted; I could see he was just a bully ya know?"

"Oh. I guess I ruined that plan didn't I?"

"It's okay." Foggy assured with a shrug. "You couldn't see him."

Matt laughed again but quickly fell silent, he spent a moment contemplating a thought before voicing it. "But you were going to defend me."

"Of course! No one talks to my best friend that way!"

Foggy couldn't help but grin at the contented smile that stole Matt's face. "Well thank you."

"And thank you, for sticking up for me."

"Anytime mon frère."

"Seriously? French, Spanish, any other languages you know?"

Matt shook his head with a grin, "I mean, I know like five words in French."

"Uh translation: at _least_ five whole conversations. Dude I can barely remember any Punjabi."

"That's because you barely passed the class."

"Ouch. Well Murdock, if that's the way it's gonna be, see if I defend you next time!" Foggy said, shoving Matt just hard enough to make him stumble forward slightly.

"Is that so?"

"That _is_ so."

Matt tipped his head back, laughing deeply and relishing the warmth of the sun on his face and the beat of his best friend's heart in his ear.

 **A/N: Hey there! I hope everyone's summer is going well. Mine is kind of crazy and stressful but that's a story for another day. Anywho, so I have two more chapters basically finished and then a bunch more in the works. I will try to update as fast as possible but I've also got another story idea that is currently eating away at the inside of my head and may cause permanent damage if I don't write it soon. So we'll see where everything goes. Please drop a review if you enjoyed this chapter and if you're interested in more, I could really use a bit of support in my life right now. Thanks guys, until next time!**


	27. A Role Reversal

"Holy hell I totally regret my life." Foggy groaned, rearranging his stack of boxes for the fifth time since they'd piled into the elevator.

"I offered to help you carry those." Matt was referring to the heavy arrangement of presents balanced somewhat precariously in Foggy's grasp, not to mention the suitcase and laundry bags slung over one shoulder.

"And I told _you_ that you get to be on door duty. Apartment and bedroom."

"Alright." Matt responded somewhat doubtfully.

The elevator door chimed, announcing their arrival on the third floor. Matt exited quickly, carefully following the path he'd walked numerous times, pulling out his keys as he went.

The door lock had taken a little finagling when they'd first moved in but Matt had grown accustomed to it soon enough. Foggy was still convinced the thing didn't quite function properly but Matt turned down all his offers to call and have it replaced.

Once inside Matt glided through their living space with ease and propped open the door to Foggy's room, making sure to stop in the corner where he'd be out of the way.

"Matt, Matt!" Foggy gasped from the doorway, stumbling into his bedroom.

At first Matt assumed the boxes were toppling over and he in the process of wondering just what exactly _he_ was supposed to do about that when Foggy cried out clarification.

"Light Matt!"

Matt's shoulders fell as he groped for the light switch he'd used less than five times for the entirety of the year they'd been living there. He was finally able to find it and cringed slightly when he heard Foggy's sigh of relief.

Matt hadn't even considered how dark it would be; it was well after 9pm so the sun had long since set and Foggy's room was around a corner so light from the hallway wouldn't be any help.

Foggy dropped his heavy burden as gently as he could manage at the foot of his bed. Wiping his hands in satisfaction he turned back around, content smile immediately falling as he took in Matt's apologetic expression. "Hey, what's with the face?"

"The light, I'm sorry I didn't think to grab it sooner."

"Are you serious?" Foggy scoffed, causing Matt to snap a confused expression in his direction. "How many times have I nodded when talking to you? Or attempted to pass you something without saying anything?"

Matt paused in contemplation before shrugging with a chuckle, "An ample sum I'm sure."

"Exactly! I can't be upset with you for forgetting something you never have a reason to use, so there's no need for you to apologize for it."

"Alright." Matt nodded in agreement, feeling much better after hearing Foggy's statement even though he'd known it was irrational to believe his friend would be mad.

"Now what do ya say we watch something to unwind and then hit the hey? Those classes are going to arrive far too early for my liking."

"I think that sounds like a wonderful idea, and you don't have class till noon."

"Yeah, and I've grown accustomed to sleeping in till at _least_ two."

Matt simply chuckled again, shaking his head as he turned to leave the room, reaching up and flawlessly hitting the light switch when he shuffled by.

"Hey!" Foggy shouted. "I can't see!"

"Really?" Matt gasped dramatically, "Me neither!"

Foggy sighed heavily, dropping his head in shame. "I walked right into that one."

"You totally did!" Matt laughed in reply.

"Shut up!" Foggy cried indignantly before joining Matt on the couch and flipping on the TV.

 **A/N: So, there's so many times that Foggy forgets about Matt and Matt's needs as a blind person. I've certainly used it before. But I just wanted to show the other side of the coin, cause let's be real here, Matt wouldn't think about turning the light on in a dark bedroom.**


	28. Gas Pedal

"Are you completely, one hundred percent certain of this?"

"Matt I am positively, absolutely one hundred and _ten_ percent certain of this. What's the worst that could happen?"

"We could crash and die a fiery and painful death." Matt deadpanned, his fingers drumming along the steering wheel with nervous jitters.

Foggy sighed heavily, rolling his eyes for the umpteenth time that day. It had been hard enough task just convincing Matt to get behind the driver's seat of one of his uncle's unused trucks, let alone putting the thing in drive. "Matthew, there is nothing but straight road and corn fields out here. So you see, no danger whatsoever."

"But what if I run us off the road?"

Foggy sighed in frustration, closing his eyes and running a hand over his forehead. "You _won't_." He assured.

Matt's head cocked to the right, the expression on his face clearly reading 'you can't know that for sure.'

"Okay scoot." Foggy said, shoving Matt to the side and cramming himself behind the wheel. He started the car, put it in drive, and then slowly inched forward. "Feel this? This is what road feels like." Foggy gently maneuvered the truck off the gravel and onto the surrounding grass. "And _this_ , this is what not-road feels like."

Matt's eyebrows furrowed in concentration, easily memorizing the differences between road and not-road.

Foggy tapped the break and placed the truck back in park, scooting over to the passenger seat. "Got it?"

Matt still looked uncertain, his forehead crinkling the way it always did when he was nervous, but he nodded confidently. "Got it."

"Okay," Foggy began excitedly, "So there's two pedals under there. The one farthest left," Matt's foot automatically moved to find it, "yeah, that's the break. The one right next to it is the gas. Give it love tap."

Matt shifted his foot to the right, gently putting a small amount of pressure on the pedal. The truck revved and his eyes widened with an excited gasp.

"Ready?" Foggy questioned, a grin forming on his face.

"No." Matt responded truthfully, making Foggy's grin widen.

Foggy reached over and switched the truck into drive, waiting a moment, reveling in the calm before the storm, then, "Floor it!"

So Matt did.

The truck's tires spun, spitting gravel, before the vehicle lurched forward and shot down the abandoned road.

Matt and Foggy both released a loud, exhilarated shout, wind tearing through the open windows and messing up their hair.

Suddenly Matt slammed his feet over the break, the truck fishtailed over the gravel before it came to a screeching halt, both boys lurching forward in their seats.

The truck was silent save only their panting breath.

Foggy glanced at Matt, " _That_ , was awesome!"

"Yeah." Matt nodded in agreement. When he turned towards Foggy his eyes were wide, his face a shade paler than usual. "Let's never do it again."

Foggy chuckled softly, but relented. Matt had experienced driving once, and if once was enough for him than once was enough for Foggy as well.

 **A/N: So I must give credit where credit is due. This idea belongs solely to my sister and I'm super happy she gave it to me cause I had a blast writing it. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it!**


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